Air India crash: Former Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani’s body yet to be identified

The DNA verification process continues to identify the body of former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani who was killed in an Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad on Thursday.

According to officials, the DNA tests have confirmed identity of 31 victims and 12 bodies have already been handed over to their families.

"The DNA matches of 31 individuals have been completed, and they have been identified. Out of these, 12 bodies have already been sent back to their respective hometowns, including Udaipur, Vadodara, Kheda, Kushinagar, and Ahmedabad," Dr Rajnish Patel, ADMS at Civil Hospital, told media.

“The DNA results for the rest are still awaited," he said.

The London-bound Air India flight went down into a doctors’ hostel minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad International Airport around 2 pm on Thursday, killing all but one of the 242 passengers on board. At least 29 people on the ground, including doctors and medical students, were also killed in the crash.

Patel said the DNA testing for Rupani is still ongoing. "There has been no match so far. As soon as a match is established, the concerned authorities and family will be informed," he added.

The identification exercise is being handled by forensic teams from the state Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU).

As many as 230 teams were formed to coordinate with the victims' families.

India