BODIES RELEASED FROM MORGUE
Later in the afternoon, authorities removed the tail of the aircraft that was stuck on top of a building, while hospital and rescue officials said a body of a cabin crew member was recovered from the wreckage.
Air India said it will provide an interim payment of 2.5 million rupees ($29,000) each to the families of the deceased and to the survivor, to help address immediate financial needs, in addition to 10 million rupees in support announced previously by the Tata Group.
“The process of reuniting next of kin with their loved ones and personal effects has begun,” Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said in a statement, as authorities started handing over bodies of passengers and crew members to their families, nearly 48 hours after the crash.
Dozens of anxious family members have been waiting outside an Ahmedabad hospital to collect the bodies, as doctors were working overtime to gather dental samples from the deceased to run identification checks and DNA profiling.
At least 11 DNA samples have been matched so far, and authorities expect to hand over three bodies by Saturday evening, said Rajnish Patel, a senior official at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital. He told reporters that the matching of samples was a meticulous process that had to be done slowly.
The wait, however, had made some family members more distraught.
Rafiq Abdul Hafiz Memon, who lost four relatives in the incident, said he was not getting any answers from authorities.
“We have lost our children … we are not understanding anything. Please help us get information about our children. Tell us when they are going to release their bodies,” Memon said.
Another father was upset about not being able to get the body of his son, Harshad Patel, saying he was told by authorities it would take 72 hours for DNA profiling. “The authorities are trying to help but our patience is running out,” he said.
Most bodies in the crash were badly charred and authorities are using dental samples to run identification checks.
Jaishankar Pillai, a forensic dentist, told reporters on Friday they had the dental records of 135 charred victims, which can then be matched through reference to victims’ prior dental charts, radiographs or other records.
Even for doctors, things are getting difficult, as the plane struck a hostel building of the B.J. Medical College, where many of the dead are undergoing identification checks.
“Most of us are struggling with our emotions and are mentally disturbed because of the loss of friends and colleagues,” said one doctor who did not wish to be named.
“The loss of so many colleagues and friends in this incident is difficult.”
