- Experts at Gandhinagar's Forensic Science Laboratory are identifying victims of the Ahmedabad crash.
- Forty-seven bodies have been identified, including former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.
- The Air India Dreamliner crash occurred with 242 people aboard, there was just one survivor.
A team of experts are working round the clock, keeping aside everything personal, to identify the remains of those who died in the fatal air plane crash in Ahmedabad and bring closure to their families.
The job of identification has been taken up by Gandhinagar's Forensic Science Laboratory on a war footing. So far 47 bodies have been identified including that of Gujarat's former Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.
The Air India Dreamliner had crashed on Thursday afternoon, with 242 people on board. There was only one survivor - 40-year-old Vishwas Kumar Ramesh, an India who is now a UK citizen.
The plane had crashed on a hostel of the BJ Medical College campus and another 29 persons, including five MBBS students, on the ground were killed.
Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi posted fulsome praie of the FSL experts who have gone beyond the call of duty and are putting in extra hours.
Tribute to the Dedication of FSL Forensic Experts
— Harsh Sanghavi (@sanghaviharsh) June 15, 2025
Truly remarkable is the personal sacrifices being made by the team of 36 dedicated forensic experts.
One such example is a forensic expert whose mother is currently fighting for her life, with only 20% heart function, and was... pic.twitter.com/u78k99fmxy
"Their selflessness and dedication to duty are a testament to their professionalism and compassion. We salute these unsung heroes who, despite their personal struggles, are working tirelessly day and night to help bring closure to the families affected by the tragedy," he wrote.
Giving details of the sacrifices made by this team, he wrote, "Eight of the women experts on the team are mothers of children aged 3 years or less. Despite the challenges of caring for their young ones, they have put their family's needs aside to focus on the critical task at hand."
He also mentioned one expert whose mother is currently fighting for her life, with only 20 per cent heart function and is scheduled for urgent surgery, "Despite the personal turmoil, this expert remains committed to DNA testing efforts," he wrote.
FSL Director HP Sanghvi said the process of identification - especially DNA extraction from the remains - is an intricate and time-intensive process.
Explaining the methodology, he outlined that DNA sampling process from the remains - bones and teeth.
These samples are meticulously cleaned and powdered and then, the DNA is extracted, "using specialised machines at a specific temperature".
The extracted DNA is checked for quality and quantity using RT-PCR machines and copies are made only if they meet the criteria.
The DNA strands are then separated and run through sequencing machines to generate a full DNA profile.
Even after this long process, if sufficient DNA alleles are not detected, it must be repeated from the beginning. "Only when 23 alleles match between the victim and their family members can identification be confirmed," he said. In father-son cases, additional Y-chromosome testing is conducted to establish identity.
(With agencies)
