British Families Bury Wrong Bodies After Air India Sends Misidentified Remains. Image: Independent shared via X @Independent.
(The Post News)- On June 12, a Dreamliner en route to London crashed soon after departing from Ahmedabad, India. The aircraft collided with a medical school, resulting in the deaths of all 241 passengers onboard, including 52 British nationals.
Additionally, 19 people on the ground were killed, and 67 others sustained serious injuries.
Preliminary findings from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau indicate that the aircraft’s power systems were set to “cut-off” just moments before the crash.
Controversy has arisen over the mishandling of the victims’ remains. Reports claim that Air India mistakenly returned the wrong bodies to several families in the UK.
James Healy-Pratt, an aviation lawyer representing the bereaved British families, revealed that one relative had to cancel a funeral after discovering that the body inside the coffin was not their loved one.
“Some victims were interred in India, some were cremated and buried, and only 12 sets of remains were sent back to Britain,” Healy-Pratt explained.
He emphasized that families have the right to know the final resting places of their loved ones and demanded answers regarding the identification process.
He told The Daily Mail that he expects UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the issue during their upcoming discussions in London about the UK-India free trade agreement.
“I’ve been in contact with the victims’ families for a month. They want answers. Some were sent the wrong remains,” he said.
India’s Minister of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal, acknowledged the report and said the Indian government is cooperating with the UK to resolve the matter.
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