Daijiworld Media Network – Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad, Jun 13: The Air India plane that crashed in Ahmedabad on Thursday exploded into a fireball due to nearly 1.25 lac litres of aviation fuel onboard, making body identification extremely difficult. DNA tests are underway, and among those who gave samples was eight-month-old Ibrahim, whose father, Mohammed Adnan, was among the 241 victims of the crash.
Adnan, a UK resident, had come to Ahmedabad with his wife Mantasha and their son to celebrate Eid al-Adha. He was returning early and had boarded flight AI-171 to London’s Gatwick. Mantasha and Ibrahim were to fly back later on June 21.
Adnan’s brother-in-law, Dr Nabeel, said they had no choice but to use baby Ibrahim’s DNA to help identify the body. “My sister’s blood samples didn’t work and none of Adnan’s relatives were in the city,” he said.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed just 32 seconds after takeoff, gaining only 625 feet before plunging into the BJ Medical College complex. Ten people on the ground, including four medical students, also lost their lives.
Grieving relatives queued at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital to submit DNA samples. One man from Patan district said, “My sister-in-law died in the crash. Her brother gave a DNA sample, and officials have asked us to wait 72 hours for confirmation.”
Authorities have launched a probe into the disaster, which has left families devastated and demanding answers.