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.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
NATO, others turn down US call for help in Hormuz: Trump
Washington (PTI): President Donald Trump on Tuesday said NATO and most of US' other allies have rejected his calls to help secure the Strait of Hormuz as the war with Iran entered the third week.
In a social media post, Trump asserted that Iran’s military has been “decimated” and he no longer felt the need for assistance from NATO countries or anyone else.
Last week, Trump had sought help from European nations and others who depend on oil supplies transiting from the Hormuz Strait to safeguard the critical waterway.
“The United States has been informed by most of our NATO “Allies” that they don’t want to get involved with our Military Operation against the Terrorist Regime of Iran, in the Middle East, this, despite the fact that almost every Country strongly agreed with what we are doing, and that Iran cannot, in any way, shape, or form, be allowed to have a Nuclear Weapon,” the US President said in a post on Truth Social.
Iran's attacks on Gulf nations and its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil is transported, have sparked increasing concerns of a global energy crisis and are unnerving the world economy.
“I am not surprised by their action, however, because I always considered NATO, where we spend Hundreds of Billions of Dollars per year protecting these same Countries, to be a one-way street — We will protect them, but they will do nothing for us, in particular, in a time of need,” Trump said.
He said Australia, Japan and South Korea too have turned down his call for help.
“Fortunately, we have decimated Iran’s Military – Their Navy is gone, their Air Force is gone, their Anti-Aircraft and Radar is gone and perhaps, most importantly, their Leaders, at virtually every level, are gone, never to threaten us, our Middle Eastern Allies, or the World, again,” Trump said.
He said that given the scale of recent military successes, the US no longer "need" or desires assistance from NATO countries, adding that it never relied on such support in the first place.
Speaking as President of the United States, the "most powerful" country in the world, "we do not need" help from anyone, Trump said.
The West Asia conflict began on February 28 when the US-Israeli combine conducted airstrikes on Iran.
The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that connects the Persian Gulf to the open ocean, has effectively been shut following the US and Israel attack on Iran and Tehran's sweeping retaliation.
However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had said that from Tehran's "perspective", the strait is "open". "It is only closed to Iran's enemies, to those who carried out unjust aggression against our country and to their allies.”
Earlier in the day, a second Indian-flagged LPG tanker, Nanda Devi, reached the country after safely sailing from the war-hit Strait of Hormuz. On Monday, the first ship, Shivalik, reached Mundra port in Gujarat.
As of now, 22 Indian vessels remain on the west side and two on the east side of the strait.
Indian authorities are in constant touch with all the relevant stakeholders in the region to secure the safe passage of the remaining ships, officials said.
