Mix-up in repatriation of AI crash victims’ mortal remains; families abandon funeral ceremonies
London: There has been an alleged mix-up in the repatriation of the bodies of some of the British victims in the Air India crash in Ahmedabad in June, forcing the relatives to abandon the funeral ceremonies.
While some families in the UK received the mortal remains of unknown person, some others received mortal remains of two people placed in the same coffin, according to The Daily Mail.
The matter is known to have come to light after Inner West London coroner Dr. Fiona Wilcox asked for a verification of the identities of British victims by matching their DNA with samples provided by their families.
A high-level inquiry into the matter is currently underway, with the report stating that the UK Prime Minister is likely to discuss the matter with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Aviation lawyer James Healy-Pratt, who represents many British families, has said that the funeral rites of some victims have already been conducted in India. He added that the bodies of at least 12 victims have been repatriated.
He stressed on the desperation of the British families to get the mortal remains of their loved ones and that they are distraught by the fact that they received the remains of strangers. Healy-Pratt said that the process of repatriation was going on for a couple of weeks and opined that the families deserve an explanation regarding the mix-up.
The identification of the bodies was started immediately after the crash that claimed 275 lives, including that of 52 British citizens. The process carried out by local authorities and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) using sniffer dogs and other high-tech equipment. The bodies, however, were beyond recognition as the heat generated during the crash was as high as 1,500 degrees Celsius.
The report on the process said that the relatives of the victims were asked to provide their DNA samples, while in some of the severe cases, dental records were used for identification.
Notably, Indian authorities had stated that the DNA tests had confirmed the identities of all victims by June 28. The bodies were repatriated by Air India.
The London-bound Air India, AI 171, carrying 242 people, including 12 crew members, took off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Airport in Ahmedabad on June 12 and crashed just seconds later into the hostel of BJ Medical College campus. Over 275, including the people on the ground, were killed in the crash.
One passenger who survived the crash, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, is a British national of Indian origin.
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US VP JD Vance says Lebanon not part of ceasefire, calls it ‘misunderstanding’
Budapest/Washington: US Vice President J D Vance has said that Lebanon was never included in the ceasefire understanding with Iran, describing the confusion as a “legitimate misunderstanding”.
Speaking to reporters before departing from Hungary, Vance said, “I think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon and it just didn’t. We never made that promise.”
He stressed that the United States had not included Lebanon in the scope of the ceasefire at any stage.
His remarks come amid continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon, where more than 200 people were reported killed, even as ceasefire talks between Iran and the US move forward.
Vance said Israel had “offered … to check themselves a little bit in Lebanon because they want to make sure that our negotiation is successful”.
He warned that if Iran allows the situation in Lebanon to affect the negotiations, it could derail the talks.
“If Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart in a conflict where they were getting hammered over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with them and which the United States never once said was part of the ceasefire, that’s ultimately their choice,” he said.
