National News: Days after the tragic Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, the body of former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was formally identified through DNA testing on Sunday. He was among the 241 passengers killed in the plane crash. Authorities confirmed his death following forensic analysis.
On Sunday at 11:10 a.m., his DNA was matched, and later his body was handed over to his family member. So far authorities in Ahmedabad had identified 32 victims through DNA testing, and the bodies of 14 persons were handed over to the victims' families, an official was quoted as saying by a news agency.
Additional civil superintendent Dr Rajnish Patel said to media that the victims identified so far were from different places in Gujarat and Rajasthan.
"Thirty-two DNA matches have been confirmed till now, and 14 bodies have already been handed over to the respective families. "The victims were from Udaipur, Vadodara, Kheda, Mehsana, Arvalli, Ahmedabad and Botad districts," Patel said.
“So far, 32 DNA matches have been confirmed, and 14 bodies have been given to their families. "The victims were from Mehsana, Aravalli, Ahmedabad, Udaipur, Vadodara, Kheda and Botad,” he said.
As many of the bodies were badly burnt or damaged, officials are using DNA tests to confirm their identities.
Around 230 teams have been set up to help and stay in touch with the victims' families. So far, 270 people have died after Air India Flight 171, heading to London from Ahmedabad, crashed just minutes after takeoff. The plane hit the resident doctors' hostel at BJ Medical College.
The aircraft had carried 242 people on board—230 passengers, 10 crew members, and 2 pilots. The flight was flying to Gatwick Airport in London. Vijay Rupani, who had a business class ticket, was on his way to meet his daughter in the United Kingdom.
One passenger, a British national of Indian origin sitting in seat 11A (near the emergency exit door), survived the crash and is now in the hospital with injuries. Sadly, 241 passengers on the plane died, along with 29 people on the ground, making the death toll 270.
