National News: One body of the Air India plane crash victim from Ahmedabad has been handed over to her family after DNA matching, identified as Poonam Ben of Kheda. The body of the second victim will be handed over to the family this evening or tomorrow morning, with nine DNA samples being successfully matched so far.
Eight bodies of the Ahmedabad plane crash were already handed over to the family, as they were identified by relatives. These victims did not require DNA testing as their bodies were not too damaged. So far about 270 bodies have been brought to the hospital from the crash site, as per doctors.
The Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which was flying to London, crashed on Thursday afternoon after sending a mayday signal. The plane caught fire and crashed into a residential area, making it one of India's worst aviation accidents.
There were 242 people on board the plane, but only one passenger survived. The rear part of the plane was found stuck in a dormitory for medical staff.
DNA Testing Underway in Ahmedabad
Relatives are giving DNA samples in Ahmedabad to identify the bodies, with some family members also arriving from abroad. Officials said the final death toll would be confirmed only after the DNA process is complete. According to Air India, the plane had 169 Indian passengers, 53 British, 7 Portuguese, 1 Canadian and 12 crew members on board.
The victims included people from different backgrounds – from former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani to a teenage tea vendor, they are among the dead.
The only survivor, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, is a UK-based businessman. He was seated in 11A, near the emergency exit. The opposite side of the plane hit the wall and caught fire, leaving no one alive in that area.
One Life Saved in Plane Crash
One survivor, Ramesh, told the media that he could not believe that he was alive. I thought I was going to die, but when I opened my eyes, I saw that I had survived, he said. I opened my seat belt and ran away. The couple sitting next to me died in front of my eyes.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Ramesh at the hospital on Friday, where he is being treated for burns and other injuries. The civil aviation minister said that investigators have recovered the black box from the aircraft. This will help in understanding what caused the accident.
