Ahmedabad plane crash: ‘Established protocols’ followed for identifying victims, says India after U.K. media report on families receiving wrong bodies

The Indian government is working closely with U.K. authorities to “address concerns” raised by an aviation lawyer about families bereaved after the June 12 Ahmedabad Air India crash, receiving wrongly identified last remains, including in one case where remains of more than one person were placed in the same casket.

British newspaper Daily Mail reported that relatives of one victim had to abandon funeral plans after being informed that their coffin contained the body of an unknown passenger.

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In another case, the “commingled” remains of more than one person killed in the crash were mistakenly placed in the same casket and had to be separated before the burial could go ahead.

“In the wake of the tragic crash, the concerned authorities had carried our 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 U.K. authorities on addressing any concerns related to the issue,” Randhir Jaiswal, Spokesperson of Ministry of External Affairs posted on X.

Daily Mail quoted James Healy-Pratt, an aviation lawyer representing many of the British families say saying, “some have got the wrong remains and they are clearly distraught over this. It has been going on for a couple of weeks [and] I think these families deserve an explanation.”

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The mix up emerged when the Inner West London coroner Dr. Fiona Wilcox sought to verify the repatriated Britons’ identities by matching their DNA with samples provided by the families, the Daily Mail reported.

There were 260 lives lost in the Boeing 787-8 crash. 241 out of the 242 aboard the flight from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick were killed 32 seconds after take off. These included 181 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals, one Canadian.