2 UK families received ‘wrong remains' of Air India crash victims
In one case, DNA samples taken from a casket found 'commingling' of genetic material from more than one victim of the crash of Air India Flight 171 in Ahmedabad, India, said the lawyer, James Healy-Pratt. In the other case, a DNA sample taken from the casket did not match that of the victim, he said.
Both families who were sent the 'wrong remains' had to delay funeral plans because of the errors, said Healy-Pratt, who is representing more than 20 British families who lost loved ones in the June 12 crash that killed 260 people.
'This has added an indescribable psychological distress to families who are already going through the trauma of losing a loved one,' he said.
Healy-Pratt did not identify the families who had received the mismatched remains.
News of the errors, which were earlier reported by Britain's Daily Mail newspaper, came as Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India began a two-day state visit to London on Wednesday. Modi was expected to meet with Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain to sign a trade agreement.
In response to the report, a spokesperson for India's ministry of external affairs, Randhir Jaiswal, said in a statement Wednesday that the Indian authorities had adhered to 'established protocols and technical requirements' when identifying the victims, and that the Indian government was working with British authorities to address the matter.
'All mortal remains were handled with utmost professionalism and with due regard for the dignity of the deceased,' Jaiswal said.
The two British citizens were among 53 Britons who died when the Air India plane crashed into a medical college seconds after takeoff in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad. The investigation of the crash is ongoing, but a preliminary report by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau found that the Boeing 787-8 jet's fuel switches had changed position.
The errors with the remains were discovered by the coroner for Inner West London who conducted DNA testing after the remains were repatriated to verify that they matched that of family members, Healy-Pratt said. The coroner, Dr. Fiona Wilcox, did not return a request for comment.
The remains of 12 British victims have been repatriated so far, Healy-Pratt said, adding that the remains of the other 10 victims had been accurately identified.
While Britain sent forensic specialists to advise British families in India after the crash, the process of DNA identification and the placement of remains in the caskets was handled by the Indian authorities, a spokesperson for Britain's National Police Chiefs' Council said in an email.
In the days after the crash, family members of the British victims traveled to India to provide DNA samples, and had been assured by the Indian authorities that the remains would be properly handled, Healy-Pratt said.
'It's appalling that the families have to go through this,' he said. 'You lose a loved one on the 12th of June, and within a matter of weeks you virtually lost them again.'
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