Last victim of the tragic Air India crash identified, death toll reaches 260

Nearly two weeks after the tragic Air India Flight 171 crash on June 12, all victims from the devastating incident have been identified. The last body, belonging to a passenger from Kutch, was successfully identified on Friday night through DNA matching, bringing the total confirmed death toll from the London-bound Dreamliner crash to 260. This figure includes 241 of the 242 individuals on board the aircraft and 19 non-passengers killed on the ground when the plane crashed into a residential block of a medical college in Meghaninagar, Ahmedabad.

Superintendent of Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, Rakesh Joshi, confirmed that no new remains have been recovered from the crash site in the last few days, signaling the completion of the extensive identification process. Of the identified victims, 253 were confirmed through DNA testing, while six were recognized through facial recognition. The body of the final identified victim was handed over to his relatives late Saturday night. The rapid identification, which typically takes months, was achieved in about two weeks due to a coordinated effort by forensic experts.

Dhananjay Dwivedi, Additional Chief Secretary of the Health and Family Welfare Department, highlighted the scale of the operation, stating that 250 relatives of the deceased provided DNA samples. These samples were collected at the Ahmedabad Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and matched at FSL Gandhinagar and the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU). Dr. Bhargav Patel, head of the Centre of Excellence in DNA Forensics at the NFSU, noted his team of 32 scientists and PhD scholars processed over 150 DNA samples from the deceased.

The June 12 crash occurred shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British national of Indian origin, miraculously emerged as the lone survivor from the aircraft. The impact of the crash was severe, with 318 body parts recovered from the site. Authorities continue their investigation into the cause of India's worst aviation disaster in decades, while families mourn their profound losses.