A lawyer has said the repatriated remains of some British victims of the Air India crash have been misidentified, leaving grieving families struggling to say goodbye to their loved ones.
On June 12, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner bound for London collided with a medical college shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport, killing all 241 people on board.
Among the dead were 169 Indian passengers and 52 British citizens.
Aviation lawyer James Healy-Pratt, who represents more than 20 British families who lost loved ones in the tragedy, said relatives of one victim found “mixed” remains in a coffin, while another family was told the body contained a completely different person from their loved one.
Mr Healy-Pratt, a partner at the firm, said the errors came after the “flawless efforts” of London's inner west senior coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox, who “identified DNA anomalies” early in the repatriation process.
“In the first two coffins that were repatriated, one of them had mixed DNA that was not related to the deceased in that coffin or the coffin that accompanied it, and that alerted her and her team that there was a serious problem,” he told the PA news agency.
“My understanding is that there was a mix-up early on and that has necessitated Dr. Wilcox being 100% vigilant in checking the identification of incoming remains.
“Then she was able to determine that one of her loved ones was not at all who the family thought he was.”
Families of three British victims buried in India after the crash have said there was a “glaring lack of transparency and accountability” in the process of identifying and repatriating the victims.
Relatives of Akeel Nanabawa, his wife Hannah Woraji and their four-year-old daughter Sarah Nanabawa commented: “Recent events have only confirmed what many have been worried about: that serious mistakes may have been made and that the dignity and rights of the victims and their families were not adequately protected.”
“In our case, we are confident that we have the correct bodies based on the hospital's assurances, the autopsy reports, their clothing and personal belongings that we found.
But now our concern goes beyond just us. We are deeply concerned about what this means for other families who may still be looking for reassurance and comfort.
“It's not just
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
