Families of victims of last month’s Air India Flight 171 crash are facing fresh anguish after receiving misidentified remains of their loved ones, according to reports and lawyers representing some of the bereaved.
The June 12 crash in Gujarat, which killed 260 people, has already drawn criticism over delays and poor communication during the repatriation of victims’ bodies to the UK.
This week, however, new revelations show at least two British families received the wrong remains, forcing one family to cancel a planned funeral after learning the coffin contained the body of an unidentified passenger.
British aviation lawyer James Healy-Pratt, who is advising several families, confirmed the misidentifications. In another case, according to media reports, the remains of more than one individual were mistakenly placed in a single casket.
The errors came to light when Inner West London coroner Dr. Fiona Wilcox ordered DNA checks on the bodies returned to Britain. The government had announced on June 28 that DNA had confirmed all 260 fatalities, yet the subsequent repatriations carried out by Air India have been called into question by the families.
The Indian Foreign Ministry acknowledged the complaints on Wednesday, with spokesman Randhir Jaiswal saying New Delhi has been “working closely with the UK side from the moment these concerns and issues were brought to our attention.”
“All mortal remains were handled with utmost professionalism and with due regard for the dignity of the deceased,” Jaiswal said, adding that India continues to cooperate with British authorities to resolve the matter.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to raise the issue with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his official visit to the UK, which began Wednesday. Air India has not yet issued a formal statement but is reportedly investigating.
The doomed flight, bound for London, crashed into several buildings shortly after takeoff, killing nearly all on board, including 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese citizens and one Canadian. Only one passenger survived after leaping from the aircraft moments before impact.
Investigations into the crash itself, as well as into the repatriation process, remain ongoing.