'Who's in coffin?': What UK report on wrongly 'repatriated' Air India crash victims said; India reacts

India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Wednesday evening reacted to a UK-based publication's report claiming that the bodies of two Britons killed in the Air India crash had been wrongly identified and sent to Britain, saying it is working with the authorities in the United Kingdom to address their concerns. The ministry's spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, however, said that the concerned authorities in India had carried out the identification of victims according to established protocols and that the mortal remains were handled with "utmost professionalism".

"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 the 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," the ministry said in a statement, shared by Jaiswal on X.

261 people, including passengers, crew, and several people on the ground, died after a London-bound Air India plane crashed into a hostel seconds after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport. Since the crash of the plane carrying thousands of litres of fuel triggered a massive explosion, most of the bodies were charred beyond recognition. The authorities released the bodies of the victims to their families based on DNA tests. “We are continuing to work with the UK authorities on addressing any concerns related to this issue,” Jaiswal added.

What did the report say?

The report was published by the UK daily, The Daily Mail, on Wednesday. It said that the "repatriation of Britons killed in the Air India disaster has been horrifically bungled".

It claimed that the remains of the loved ones of the bereaved families were wrongly identified and sent to the UK. It said the relatives of one such victim were forced to abandon their funeral plans after they were informed that their coffin contained the body of an unknown passenger.

In another such case, the publication reported, the 'commingled' remnants of more than one person killed in the crash were mistakenly placed in the same casket.

The Daily Mail reported that the commingled remnants of the bodies had to be separated. It called the row a case of shocking blunders, which was revealed when Inner West London coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox sought to verify the repatriated Britons' identities by matching their DNA with samples provided by the families. The report further said that Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to raise concerns with his Indian counterpart, Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

It said two such instances have so far come to light. However, there could be more such errors. Many of the British victims of the crash had been cremated or buried in India. At least 12 bodies were sent to the UK.

The daily quoted aviation lawyer James Healy-Pratt as saying that the victims' kin were distraught over the blunder.

"Some of them have got the wrong remains, and they are distraught over this. It has been going on for a couple of weeks, and I think these families deserve an explanation," he told the Daily Mail.

He said one family could hold a funeral service as the commingled remains were separated; the other family is awaiting the body.

"Family X has no one to bury because it was the wrong person in their casket. And if it isn't their relative, the question is, who is it in that coffin?" he said.