Families of Air India crash victims given ‘wrong remains’
At least two British families received the remains of what they thought were their relative but were misidentified.
According to a lawyer representing them, one victim’s family had to cancel a planned funeral after the coffin contained the remains of somebody else.
In another instance, a coffin contained the remains of more than one victim.
It came to light when the senior coroner for London Inner West, Dr Fiona Wilcox tried to verify the remains through DNA.
The Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed shortly after take off from Ahmedabad airport last month.
A British passenger was the sole survivor.
Many of the relatives were interred in India while at least a dozen were repatriated to the UK.
“The families deserve urgent answers and assurances about the whereabouts of their loved ones,” said lawyer Healy-Pratt, who spoke to the Daily Mail.
“I’ve been sitting down in the homes of these lovely British families over the last month, and the first thing they want is their loved ones back. But some of them have got the wrong remains and they are clearly distraught.”
He added: “The coroner also has a problem because she has an unidentified person in her jurisdiction.”
Healy-Pratt said the two families have been in contact with their MPs and the Foreign Office.
“On the known evidence, the chain of custody of these lost loved ones was unacceptably poor,” he added.
“We are investigating the causes of those failures and demanding answers on behalf of these deserving British families.”
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers