The Indian government addressed a UK report claiming a British national’s family received the wrong body after an Air India crash.
The Indian government on Wednesday responded to a UK media report that claimed the family of a British national, who died in the London-bound Air India plane crash, has allegedly been sent the wrong body.
Ministery of external affairs ministery spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We have seen the report and have been working closely with the UK side from the moment these concerns and issues were brought to our attention.”
“In the wake of the tragic crash, the concerned authorities had carried out identification of victims as per established protocols and technical requirements. All mortal remains were handled with utmost professionalism and with due regard for the dignity of the deceased. We are continuing to work with the UK authorities on addressing any concerns related to this issue,” Jaiswal said.
According to a report by DailyMail, the funeral of a British national, killed in the Ahmedabad Air India plane crash, had to be abandoned after it was discovered that the coffin contained the remains of someone else.
In another instance, the bodies of two victims were reportedly “commingled” in the same coffin and had to be separated before burial, the report said.
James Healy-Pratt, a lawyer representing several bereaved British families, said the mishandling of remains had left relatives “distraught”.
“I have been sitting down in the homes of these lovely British families over the last month, and the first thing they want is their loved ones back,” DailyMail quoted Healy-Pratt as saying.
“But some of them have got the wrong remains, and they are clearly distraught over this. It has been going on for a couple of weeks, and I think these families deserve an explanation.”
Healy-Pratt said the family who received the wrong body had been left “in limbo”.
He added that they were awaiting formal responses from Air India and its emergency response contractor, Kenyons International Emergency Services.
“The families are also directly in contact with their MPs, the FCDO, and the offices of the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary — ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to London,” the report stated.
Air India flight AI 171, operated by a Boeing 787-8, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad en route to London Gatwick on June 12, killing 241 of the 242 passengers onboard, along with 19 people on the ground. Among the dead were 52 British citizens.
The errors were reportedly identified by Dr Fiona Wilcox, the Inner West London coroner.
“If [it] isn’t their relative, the question is, who is it in that coffin? Presumably it’s another passenger and their relatives have been given the wrong remains. The coroner also has a problem because she has an unidentified person in her jurisdiction,” Healy-Pratt said.
The report added that the remains recovered from the crash site were severely burnt, mutilated, or fragmented. Some were identified through DNA testing, while others were matched using dental records.
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