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Indian Express
15 hours ago
- Indian Express
Air India 171 crash: Last DNA match day after family holds symbolic funeral
Friday marked Ashadhi Beej, when Kutchhis celebrate their new year. But the Khimani family was grieving. They were grieving the loss of their loved one, Anil Khimani (32), who was on the London-bound AI 171 that crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12. They were also grieving because his was the only body among the 241 dead that had not yet been identified through a DNA match. Searching for 'closure' and to 'overcome the guilt' of not being able to bid a respectful farewell, the Khimanis held a 'symbolic' funeral at Dahinsara, their village in Bhuj, on Thursday followed by a prayer meeting on Friday. Hours after the prayer was held, however, a senior government official told The Indian Express that they were finally able to find a DNA match and identify Anil's body. 'Multiple rounds of processing for DNA extraction were undertaken, considering that the sample was too degraded with charring… But eventually, it was matched. The family will be informed, the DNA match will give them final closure,' the official said. Speaking to The Indian Express earlier Friday, Anil's older brother Rakesh said 'the reason for organising the symbolic funeral was that two weeks had passed since the crash'. 'The time had surpassed the stipulated window to organise the rituals as per our Swaminarayan traditions. We needed to perform the rituals within 12 days… His wife and family remained in hope that he, too, may have survived the crash… But the truth is bitter and we have to accept that no one else was lucky. It is all fate and God's will,' he said. 'There is no use of living in denial. He has two young children, whose future could be secured with the compensation money that has been promised but the person has been lost forever,' Rakesh said. Anil was a tile setter known for his 'skill' and 'precision'. Booked on Seat 21G, he was travelling to the UK for the first time, on an invitation from 'distant relatives' for six months. 'This was his first trip to London. He used to work in Seychelles before moving back to India and joining our family's maintenance business. Over the past few years, he mastered the skill of laying tiles… He was looking forward to making the most of the UK trip by exploring possibilities for a future move as well,' Rakesh said. Survived by his parents, wife and two daughters — one aged five years and the other a newborn of five months — Anil was the second among three siblings. His younger sister is settled in Uganda. On Thursday, as his family members organised the funeral at the local crematorium and the prayer meeting a day later at the Swaminarayan temple in Dahinsara, residents from the mixed neighbourhood gathered in large numbers to share their grief. In Ahmedabad, meanwhile, the body of British citizen Fiongal Cuchullain Greenlaw, the co-founder of Wellness Foundry, was handed over to his family members at the mortuary complex of the Civil Hospital. The body of his partner Jamie Ray Meek had been identified and handed over earlier. — With ENS, Ahmedabad
Time of India
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Hundreds attend Rupani's condolence meeting
Rajkot: The city's mourning of its beloved leader, Vijay Rupani , continued on Tuesday. His condolence meeting was held at Racecourse Ground on Tuesday, where hundreds gathered to pay tribute. Rupani, the former chief minister of Gujarat, was killed in the Ahmedabad aircraft crash last week. People from various sects and communities gathered to honour Rupani and comfort the grieving family — his wife, son and daughter. Priests of several sects, including Jain and Swaminarayan, gathered there as did leaders of various communities, including the Vohra and Punjabi communities. BJP workers from across the state, from Rajkot city and district, MLAs and others were in attendance. Former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Jamnagar BJP MLA Rivaba Jadeja, cabinet minister Bhanu Babariya, former BJP MLA from Gondal Jayrajsinh Jadeja and senior BJP leader Vaju Vala were among those present, apart from local businessmen and industrialists. Rupani's last rites were completed on Monday. Before that, a 10-km tribute procession was held in the city, with thousands taking part.
Indian Express
14-06-2025
- Indian Express
19 identified through DNA tests: Minister
The identities of 19 of the 241 passengers who died on the AI 171 Dreamliner on June 12, were confirmed by matching DNA samples by Saturday afternoon, 48 hours after the crash. Of these, the body of Poornima Patel from Dakor in Kheda district was handed over to the family members and has been cremated. Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi said on X that until 9 pm Saturday, 19 DNA samples have been matched so far, confirming the identities of victims. 'State Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) unit team and National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) team are working through the night to match more DNA samples,' he said in the post. The samples which matched also include that of Kalpana Prajapati and Alysia Makwana, a British national from Vadodara. The other bodies identified are of passengers from Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat, the source said. 'Both bodies will be sent to Vadodara on Sunday morning for the last rites to be conducted by the families,' Hemang Joshi, Vadodara MP, told The Indian Express. To avoid chaos and distress to the next of kin, the Gujarat government has requested family members residing abroad to plan their arrival after sending their DNA report , a top source in the government told The Indian Express. 'We have requested the foreign nationals who have not yet arrived in Ahmedabad to send their DNA profile reports from wherever they are, as a reference sample, and we will then cross verify with the DNA profile of the sample extracted from the victim here and then they can come and collect the body, on a stipulated date. They will be given all the documents in a proper file for any future reference,' the source said. There are at least 21 samples expected to be taken from foreign nationals whose family members died in the AI 171 crash on June 12. Kheda District Collector Amit Prakash Yadav told The Indian Express, 'The mortal remains of Purnima Patel, one of the crash victims arrived in her hometown in Dakor in Kheda district on Saturday evening and the cremation was done with full rituals by the Swaminarayan community, which the family belongs to. The Gujarat government supported the community in arranging the final rites.' Patel was travelling to London to meet her son. Yadav said that relatives of one crash victim from Kheda, a Canadian national, Piyush Patel (29), are on their way to submit the DNA samples. Yadav said, 'Piyush Patel's Canada-based wife and 7-year-old daughter are arriving in India to submit the daughter's sample for identification of the body. An expert on DNA forensics and retired IPS officer Keshav Kumar said that in cases such as the Air India crash where bodies are severely charred, the DNA extracted from the molar tooth of the victim, is the best bet to match with the reference sample. Kumar, who is consultant to the Home and Political Affairs department of the Government of Assam, recalls Rajkot's TRP game zone fire on May 25 last year which left 27 dead. 'Some parents had come to us saying our child is missing and we had used the RapidHIT technology to match DNA within 90 minutes from reference samples and exhibits'.
Indian Express
14-06-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Twin tragedies in 18 days: Two little girls lose mother to cancer, father to Ahmedabad crash
Kanchan Patoliya, 62, was on her way to Surat from Ahmedabad, where she had gone to see off her grieving son Arjun, 37, a British national who had come to Gujarat to immerse the ashes of his wife who died of cancer, when her nephew called and asked her to get down at Vadodara and wait for him. Only minutes ago, the family had learnt about the Air India Ahmedabad-London plane crash near the airport. Within hours, Kanchan was back in Ahmedabad, this time to give her DNA sample to identify the body of her dead son at the civil hospital. Arjun was flying back to London on June 12 to be with his daughters Riya, 8 and Kiya, 4. The two girls lost both her parents in a span of 18 days, said the grieving grandmother. 'I was in shock after learning about the death of my elder son in the plane crash. His wife, Bharti (35) died due to cancer on May 26. Now both his daughters have become orphans. Arjun had left both the girls at his younger brother Gopal's place before coming to India with the remains (ashes) of his wife, whose wish was to immerse them in the Narmada river,' said Kanchan. 'Either I or my younger son will now take care of Arjun's daughters,' an inconsolable Kanchan told The Indian Express. Arjun's younger brother Gopal has been married for eight years and is settled in London. The couple has no children. 'I gave my blood samples for a DNA test to identify the body of my son at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital on June 12. Gopal arrived at Ahmedabad on Friday evening. Once we complete all the rituals, we will sit down and decide the future of both girls. If needed, I will fly to London to stay at my younger son's place and take care of my granddaughters,' said Kanchan. The Patoliyas hail from Wadiya village in Amreli district. They moved to Surat a long time ago. Kanchan's husband, Ramesh Patoliya, ran a garment shop and Arjun studied at a Gurukul school run by the Swaminarayan sect at Katargam. The family has their own house in Katargam and Wadiya. After the death of Ramesh Patoliya, Kanchan ran a shop to meet the family's financial needs. Arjun had been settled in London for 17 years and held British citizenship, running a furniture shop there. He got married to Bharti, who hailed from Kutch in Gujarat. Sources said that Gopal got married to a Patidar girl in Surat in 2017, and the couple moved to London in 2023. Kanchan would sometimes stay in Surat and sometimes at her house in Wadiya village. Arjun and Gopal were staying together in the same house in London and were running the same furniture business, said the sources. A relative of Kanchan told The Indian Express, 'We learnt about the plane crash through social media. My aunt's nephew, Nilkesh, called her and told to getdown at Vadodara as he knew that there would be a DNA test and Arjun's mother's samples would be required. Nilkesh reached Vadodara and took my aunt, Kanchanben, to the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, where she gave her blood samples and then returned to Wadiya village.' 'The DNA test has confirmed Arjun's death and we have started the preparations for his last rites. THere will be a family meeting to decide who will get the custody of the two daughters of Arjun. The eldest one, Riya, studies at a London school. We are all waiting for Arjun's body to be handed over to us,' said the relative.
Time of India
12-06-2025
- Time of India
Ahmedabad man avoids Air India crash by postponing travel, says God saved him from death
Pic credit- AP An Ahmedabad resident who had a confirmed seat on the ill-fated Air India flight to London said on Thursday that his last-minute decision to postpone travel by four days likely saved his life. 'I owe my life to Swaminarayan and thank the gods for saving me,' said Savjibhai Timbadia, speaking to a television news channel after learning about the crash, as quoted PTI. Timbadia, who is in his late 60s, revealed that the London-bound flight was originally booked by his son, who lives in the UK. 'My son, who stays in London, had earlier booked this flight. A seat number was also allotted to me, but I postponed my departure by four days,' he said. 'I did not realise that this decision would save my life. After the crash, my son called me up from London and told me that my good deeds in this life saved me,' Timbadia added. The Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner, carrying 242 passengers and crew, crashed into a medical college complex in Ahmedabad shortly after take-off on Thursday morning. Nearly all onboard were killed in the incident, including former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani. An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the crash.
