‘Severed hand, as if she was pleading’: A year later, forensic expert recalls AI-171 crash horror

AYr after beam republic of india 171 - a john griffith chaney border Dreamliner – crashed seconds after takeoff in Gujarat's Ahmedabad, the memory of the victims still haunts the forensic experts who helped identify them. The June 12 crash killed 241 of the 242 people on board.HP Sanghvi, director of the Gujarat Directorate of Forensic Sciences, reveals a particular image that remains with him. Sanghvi, and his team of 38 forensic scientists, worked relentlessly for 15 days to sift through the biological samples of those who lost their lives in the tragedy.The forensic chief recalls a woman's severed hand, with fingers locked tight together as if pleading for help. “It looked as if she was pleading for help… Even now, a year later, we can only imagine the terror of her final moments,” Sanghvi told PTI news agency. The sight, for Sanghvi, is a testament to the terror of her last moments, and to the trauma that came with identifying the bodies.Also Read | Air India: No pressure on AI-171 families for final settlementAfter AI-171 crashed into a hostel complex on the afternoon of June 12, 2025, killing 241 persons on board and 19 on the ground, several of the deceased were charred beyond recognition. It fell on Sanghvi and his DFS team to carry out the DNA identification, as well as examine the damaged electronic devices pulled out from the ashes and extract whatever information they could from these, PTI reported.‘100 DNA profiles within 100 hours’Sanghvi said he was informed about the crash through a text message during a meeting at the DFS headquarters in Gandhinagar. After he learnt of the scale of the tragedy, the directorate brought together DNA experts from across the state. The agency also secured additional chemical analysis kits and backup machinery for the scientists, PTI reported.The first samples arrived after midnight on the day of the tragedy, Sanghvi said. “Qur teams managed to generate 100 DNA profiles within the first 100 hours,” the forensic chief told PTI. In the following days, the forensic scientists put in all their efforts to complete the task before them. Sanghvi, recounting the intense days, said it was a round-the-clock operation for the experts.Also Read | Air India rejects Rupani daughter's claims of pressure on AI-171 victims' families: ‘No deadline to accept compensation’Inside the 15-day forensic operationAn extraordinary scientific efforts unfolded over the next couple of weeks, as the laboratory received more than 180 biological samples.Of these, many were severely compromised owing to extreme heat and rapid burning, which further made extracting the viable tissue challenging. For this, Sanghvi said the scientists isolated usable DNA from the burned tissue, which is a sensitive, 30-step process, according to the PTI report.Between the efforts, the experts often found that intense heat had destroyed the cellular structures, leading them to reset and start the process all over again. However, Sanghvi said that despite the time-taking endeavour, the scientists continued their efforts.“Our teams stayed here 24X7,” Sanghvi said. “In the end, they were able to return these digital remnants to the grieving families, handing back the final, living memories of the people they lost,” he added.