Indian authorities have issued a rebuttal following claims that victims of the devastating Air India plane crash received ‘incorrect’ human remains. The clarification from the Ministry of External Affairs came hours after a British media report claimed that at least two families had received the wrong bodies. Officials also said they were working with UK authorities on “addressing any concerns related to this issue”.
“We have seen the report and have been working closely with the UK side from the moment these concerns and issues were brought to our attention. In the wake of the tragic crash, the concerned authorities had carried out identification of victims as per established protocols and technical requirements. All mortal remains were handled with utmost professionalism and with due regard for the dignity of the deceased. We are continuing to work with the UK authorities on addressing any concerns related to this issue,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.
The Boeing 787-8 jet had crashed into a residential building mere minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad airport last month — killing all but one passenger. Multiple people were also injured on ground alongside 19 fatalities. The flight had included 52 UK citizens — with their families later calling for a mechanism of expert representation in the investigatory process.
Families in UK sent ‘wrong’ bodies?
According to the initial Daily Mail article, at least two families have alleged that the bodies repatriated to them were misidentified. DNA testing revealed discrepancies in at least two caskets — with one holding the remains of multiple individuals. The errors came reportedly to light after a coroner tried to confirm the identity of the British victims transported from India by matching their DNA with samples given by the families.
The affected families had retained a London law firm towards the beginning of July to address “serious questions” once the preliminary probe report was released. Keystone Law later welcomed the more “defined area of investigation” after the preliminary report focused on fuel control switches, but stressed that “antiquated laws” excluded those impacted from participating. Reports quoting lawyers indicated that 12 to 13 sets of human remains were repatriated to the UK after the devastating crash.