A total of 222 victims have been identified following the crash of Air India Flight 171 in Ahmedabad, with 214 confirmed through DNA analysis and eight recognised without DNA testing. Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Police Commissioner GS Malik confirmed that all identified remains have been returned to the victims&rsquo; families.
The London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed shortly after departing from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:40 pm on June 12. The aircraft collided with the hostel block of BJ Medical College in the Meghaninagar locality. Of the 242 individuals on board, 241 lost their lives, including former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. The sole survivor&rsquo;s statement has been recorded as part of the ongoing investigation, which also includes video evidence analysis.
Police received the alert at 1:42 pm. Deputy Commissioners of Police from the Crime Branch and Zone 4 arrived at the crash site before the Commissioner. Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi and the Director General of Police were also informed immediately. Emergency services were mobilised without delay, and a green corridor was created for ambulances and fire engines.&nbsp;
The first ambulance arrived at the scene within three minutes and 40 seconds.
Rescue operations were conducted by personnel from all 19 fire stations in Ahmedabad, in coordination with the police. Teams from the NDRF, CISF, Indian Army, Indian Air Force, SRP, NSG, RAF, SDRF, CRPF, and BSF were also deployed. Commissioner Malik said, &ldquo;Constable Mayur Ram from Meghaninagar police station remained with the only survivor throughout the response effort.&rdquo;
DNA sampling and forensic recovery began immediately after the incident. Forensic material was sent to Gandhinagar&rsquo;s Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) by 12:19 am the same night. A total of 200 police personnel, including 10 inspectors, collected DNA samples from 51 families in under 11 hours. &ldquo;The first DNA match was confirmed at 9:34 am on June 14, within 72 hours of the crash. So far, 224 DNA matches have been completed,&rdquo; Malik confirmed.&nbsp;
The bodies of 204 victims have been handed over to their families. In two cases, remains were released on the day of the crash, as the individuals were easily recognisable. The bodies of medical students and doctors were shifted to Civil Hospital on June 13. Nearly 1,000 police officers were stationed at the hospital during the recovery and identification process.
Personal effects such as passports, jewellery, and other belongings have been returned to the families along with post-mortem reports and death certificates. Officials recovered approximately 318 body parts and around 100 mobile phones from the crash site.
Commissioner Malik said, &ldquo;Police also do their part of the investigation, but other agencies and the experts do the technical part, like analysing the black box, and the investigation is underway.&rdquo; He confirmed that all parts of the aircraft have been secured and are under examination by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). The black box has been retrieved and its data is currently being analysed.
The remains of the co-pilot, Clive Kunder, were brought to his family home in Mumbai on Thursday. Kunder, who lived with his parents in the Goregaon (West) area, was mourned by relatives and neighbours gathered around his portrait.
In the aftermath of the incident, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has released a draft regulation titled the Aircraft (Demolition of Obstructions) Rules, 2025. The draft was issued on June 18 and will come into effect upon publication in the Official Gazette. The proposed rules are intended to allow authorities to remove structures and vegetation that exceed height restrictions in designated aerodrome areas, in an effort to prevent aviation hazards.
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Flight 171 victims identified through DNA as black box data is examined by investigators.

222 Identified in Air India Crash, Probe Underway

Flight 171 victims identified through DNA as black box data is examined by investigators.

June 19, 2025 | 16:55 IST