Punjab governor Gulab Chand Kataria expresses grief on AI 171 plane crash, says "never seen such a big incident"

Kataria said that the reason for the mishap will be revealed after an investigation.

"This incident has shaken India and the entire world. How it happened will be known only after an investigation... This is the first time I have seen such a big incident", Kataria told reporters here.

On June 12, the AI 171 Boeing Dreamliner flight, which was bound for London's Gatwick airport crashed soon after taking off resulting in the deaths of all but one of the 242 people onboard. The victims included former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.

Gujarat State administration has arranged for the death certificates of those who died in the recent Air India plane crash to be issued directly at the hospital, sparing grieving families the need to visit multiple offices, Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner Banchha Nidhi Pani said today.

Further, Pani said, that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, which is probing the crash has successfully retrieved the aircraft's black box.

"The black box had to be recovered. The black box is either in the front or in the back. Fortunately, in this case, the tail end (of the plane) was not destroyed, and it was stuck in the first building. The AAIB team requested that cranes, labourers, and engineers be provided to recover the black box. After this, the Black box was recovered," the Ahmedabad Municipal commissioner said.

"After that, we ensured that people should not go to offices for death certificates. A single-window system was created, and the death certificates were issued then and there," he said.

Authorities have begun the process of identifying the bodies of the deceased from the charred wreckage with the help of DNA and blood samples provided by relatives. Earlier today, Ahmedabad Additional Medical Superintendent of Civil Hospital Dr. Rajnish Patel said a total of 31 DNA samples have been identified and 12 bodies have been handed over to their respective family members.

"The bodies of 31 DNAs have been matched. 12 bodies have been handed over to their respective family members. We are waiting for others to come and collect the remains of their relatives", he told reporters. (ANI)