Families of India air crash victims demand full-bodied remains after officials give them body bags with fragments

Tuesday, June 17, 2025 - As India mourns the tragic Air India plane crash that claimed at least 270 lives, bereaved families are pleading for full-bodied remains of their loved ones to conduct final rites amid devastating reports that many body bags contain only fragments.

Heart-wrenching scenes continue to unfold outside the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad, where makeshift morgues have been set up following the crash of a London-bound Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner last Thursday.

According to the Times of India, grief-stricken relatives are gathered outside the postmortem ward, demanding the return of complete remains.

In many cases, their calls have been met with heartbreaking responses from officials, who say it may not be possible due to the nature of the crash.

“One challenging case involved two heads being found in a single body bag.

“This has forced a repeat of DNA testing, which takes up to 72 hours. The remains clearly belong to two different victims and must be properly identified before any release,” a senior official at the hospital disclosed.

The crash, which occurred shortly after takeoff, devastated a residential building near a medical college hostel, killing 241 of the 242 passengers onboard and 29 people on the ground.

Only one passenger, 40-year-old British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, miraculously survived.

“Thirty seconds after takeoff, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed,” said Ramesh in an interview with Hindustan Times.

“When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared… someone pulled me into an ambulance.”

Ramesh, who sustained chest, foot, and eye injuries, had been returning to the UK with his older brother, Ajay Kumar Ramesh (45), after a family visit.

As authorities race to complete the difficult process of DNA identification, cultural and religious concerns are compounding the agony of grieving families, many of whom are unable to conduct burial or cremation ceremonies in the absence of intact remains.

The Indian government has ordered emergency inspections of all Air India Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft with GEnx engines.

Officials will focus on takeoff systems, electronic engine control, and fuel components.

Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik confirmed the survival of Ramesh, who was seated in 11A.

“He was the only one pulled out alive from the wreckage,” Malik said.

The global response has been swift. French President Emmanuel Macron expressed “deep emotion,” sending condolences to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the families of victims.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also offered her sympathies, stating: “Our full solidarity is with the Indian people in this time of great sorrow.”