In response to a report by Daily Mail which claimed that the bodies of at least two British nationals killed in the 12 June Air India crash were 'misidentified', India on Wednesday, 23 July, said that it is working closely with the British government to address the issue.
The shocking claims in the report have been made by James Helay Pratt, an international aviation lawyer representing families of several British victims of the crash.
The tragic crash of Air India flight 171 on 12 June claimed the lives of 261 people, 52 of whom were British nationals.
'One Family Received Wrong Body, Another Got Body Parts of Multiple People'
According to statements given by Pratt to the British daily, in one case — which he referred to as 'Family X' — the coffin did not contain their relative, but the remains of an unknown passenger. In another case, the remains of multiple victims were allegedly placed together in a single casket.
While the first family had to cancel the funeral after learning they had received the wrong body, the second family was forced to separate the remains before they could proceed with the ceremony.
The alleged errors reportedly came to light when Dr Fiona Wilcox, the Inner West London coroner, requested reverification of the identities of the repatriated Britons through DNA matching.
The development raises several questions — including who the individual in the coffin sent to 'Family X' actually is, and whether the family to whom they belong has also been sent a misidentified body.
Pratt also criticised the procedures followed by the Indian administration prior to the ‘chain of custody’ that led to the handing over of the bodies to the families.
He further said they are now awaiting formal responses from Air India and its emergency response contractors — Kenyon International Emergency Services — and that the families are also directly in contact with their MPs, the FCDO, and the offices of the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary.
'Working With UK To Address Concerns': MEA
In response to media queries regarding the report, Randhir Jaiswal, the Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), 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 in the statement.
While Air India has not issued an official statement on the claims, sources in the airline maintained that the identification of the bodies was being done by the administration and the hospital, and that they had no role play in the process.