Shift in crowd, tension and grief: Families crowd Mortuary Complex as process of blood sample collection nears end at Kasauti Bhavan

Indian Express

17-06-2025

With the process of identification and handing over of bodies of the victims of plane crash currently underway, BJ Medical College has seen a shift in crowd and attention from its Kasauti Bhavan to the Mortuary Complex.
By 7.45 pm on Tuesday, 167 bodies were identified through DNA sampling and 133 were handed to their relatives, as stated by health minister Rushikesh Patel through a tweet.
Authorities had, following the plane crash on June 12, set up a command centre at Kasauti Bhavan where the families of those killed or injured in the tragedy, seeking help, were sent. Blood samples of relatives of the deceased were also being collected at this centre for identification of the victims through DNA sampling. Thus relatives and families of the deceased, both in grief and panic, thronged Kasauti Bhavan after they arrived at the medical college.
However, by Tuesday, as blood samples of the relatives of 240 out of the 241 deceased was collected, the crowd outside and at the Mortuary Complex seemed larger.
Requesting anonymity, a government officer on Tuesday confirmed that only one blood sample was due for collection. This relative is in the United Kingdom and the procedure is being carried out there with the help of the Indian Embassy, the officer added.
Asked about the command centre, the officer also said that the facility may remain functional for relatives of others who were killed or are missing after the crash.
Meanwhile, Umang Patel, who hails from Lambvel village in Anand district and resides in the UK, arrived at the Kasauti Bhavan on Tuesday. His father Kirit Kumar Patel was flying to London in the ill-fated Air India flight. The identification of Kirit's mortal remains was yet to be done. 'I was in the UK when this crash happened. So, they collected the blood sample from my uncle Ashok Patel on the same day (June 12) for the identification of my father's body through DNA sampling. However, till today, the body has not been identified. The authorities told us that they will contact us when the DNA samples match. I was in Lambvel. However, it's been long and so I came today to inquire about the status,' said Umang, who lost his mother to Covid in 2021. Since then, his father had been flying to the UK every six months to stay with him.
'Had he made it to the UK, we would have celebrated his 69th birthday on June 14,' a tear-eyed Umang said.
One Abdulla Nanabawa from Surat was also spotted outside the Kasauti Bhavan on Tuesday. Abdulla has lost his son Akeel, daughter-in-law Haana and granddaughter Sara in the crash. While Akeel's and Haana's bodies were identified, he was awaiting the identification of his three-year-old granddaughter's body. Abdulla wanted to be handed over the mortal remains of all three together.
After the completion of the identification of the deceased's bodies and necessary formalities, their relatives are being handed those over at the Mortuary Complex situated opposite to Ahmedabad's 1200-bed Hospital within the Civil Hospital campus.
A dome has been erected in front of the Mortuary Complex where families can assemble before taking possession of the bodies of their loved ones.