The identification of the remaining 22 bodies of the crash of Air India Express flight in Mangalore is proving a painstakingly slow and traumatic process for relatives and officials involved in the process.
In one case, the relatives of one of the victims has refused to accept the body despite a DNA match, saying the body's physical attributes don't match that of their relative.
Ten bodies have been identified by DNA tests and reports are awaited for the remaining 12 unclaimed ones. Nine bodies have been handed over to the relatives.
The relatives of Navid Ibrahim Siraj, whose identity was confirmed through DNA test, refused to take the remains.
Shamir, brother of the deceased, and other relatives who came to claim the body say Navid was 23 years old and the body identified appears to be of a man aged between 40 and 45. Navid was clean-shaven but the body has a thick moustache and Navid was shorter and leaner, the relatives claimed.
A senior government doctor involved in the process told rediff.com, "The relatives refused to claim the body. They have doubts on the DNA test. Something could have gone wrong and we are trying to get to the bottom of it. It's possible that the body may have been wrongly labeled."
The doctor added, "There is one more body of a child less than a year. Nobody has claimed it nor given the sample for a DNA test."
Mangalore Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh told rediff.com, "We have cleared 10 bodies after the DNA results. We are expecting second batch of results in couple of days. It's an ongoing process; we have to wait till we get the results."
When quizzed about the child's body, he said he was not aware of the case.
When asked what would be done if the DNA tests are also not conclusive, he said, "Our next step will depend on DNA tests. We will be able talk about it only after we get the results. There is some legal procedure for that, it will be done accordingly. If bodies are still not identified, we may have to go for a mass funeral/burial. But we have not taken a call on it," Singh said.
