Vijay Rupani's Body Identified At Ahmedabad Crash Site, DNA Matching Done

New Delhi:

The identity of former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has been confirmed through DNA testing, three days after the catastrophic crash of Air India flight AI171 in Ahmedabad. The test results came in at 11:10 am on Sunday. Mr Rupani’s body will be taken from Ahmedabad to Rajkot by a chartered plane. 

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, operating as flight AI171, crashed moments after takeoff from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12 killing 241 of the 242 people on board. Mr Rupani, 68, was among the dead. One passenger survived.

The aircraft came down within seconds of going airborne, crashing into a building inside the BJ Medical College campus in the Meghaninagar locality, just over a kilometre from the airport runway. A fireball followed the impact, severely damaging the hostel building and killing multiple persons on the ground, including several MBBS students. 

As of Sunday, 32 victims have been identified, and the bodies of 14 have been returned to their families.

Mr Rupani had initially intended to travel to London on May 19. That ticket was later cancelled. He rescheduled for June 5 but subsequently cancelled that too. He finally booked a seat on the June 12 flight, the ill-fated AI171. The manifest listed him in a business class seat 2D.

He was reportedly flying to London to meet his wife and daughter.

CCTV footage obtained from the airport shows the aircraft becoming airborne at 13:38 IST and remaining in the air for only 32 seconds before losing altitude and crashing into the medical college compound.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), and Boeing’s own forensic team are currently analysing black box data.