At least two victims of the Air India Flight 171 disaster whose remains were sent back to Britain were misidentified, according to a British lawyer representing the families.
The cases, one involving remains mistakenly assigned to the wrong family and another in which multiple individuals' remains were placed in a single casket, were uncovered when Inner West London coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox began cross-checking DNA from repatriated bodies against samples submitted by relatives.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to raise the issue with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his official two-day visit to the UK that began Wednesday. Air India is reportedly investigating the matter but has yet to make a formal statement.
Aviation lawyer James Healy-Pratt, who is representing multiple British families and investigating the repatriation process, confirmed the misidentifications.
“I’ve been sitting down in the homes of these British families over the last month,” he told the Daily Mail. “But some of them have got the wrong remains and… this has been going on for a couple of weeks. I think these families deserve an explanation.”
One family, referred to as Family X, received a coffin that did not contain their relative.
“Family X have no one to bury because it was the wrong person in their casket. And if it isn’t their relative, the question is, who is it in that coffin? Presumably, it’s another passenger and their relatives have been given the wrong remains,” Healy-Pratt said.
“The coroner also has a problem because she has an unidentified person in her jurisdiction,” he added.
The crash of Flight 171 on June 12 killed 261 people, including 52 British nationals. While some victims were buried or cremated in India, at least 12 were returned to the UK. Healy-Pratt said his team is now examining the full chain of custody — from the recovery of bodies in Ahmedabad to their delivery in Britain.
The high-temperature fire and force of the crash impact left many bodies burnt beyond recognition or fragmented. DNA samples and dental records were used for identification.
However, families reported that remains were often returned with little more than verbal confirmation and paper labels.
“Nobody looked at the remains. We weren’t allowed to,” said Altaf Taju from Blackburn, whose parents and brother-in-law died in the crash. “They just said, ‘This is your mother or father,’ and gave us a paper label with an ID number on it. We had to take their word for it,” he told the Daily Mail.
By June 28, the government announced that DNA had confirmed all 260 fatalities. The repatriations, handled by Air India, were later questioned by families due to what they complained were delays and poor communication.
The coroner opened and adjourned inquests into 12 cases on July 10.
Healy-Pratt said: “On the known evidence, the chain of custody of these lost loved ones was unacceptably poor. We are investigating the causes of those failures and demanding answers.”
He said his team awaits formal responses from Air India and its emergency response contractors, Kenyons International Emergency Services. Families are also in contact with MPs, the foreign office, and Downing Street ahead of Modi’s visit.
India says it is continuing to work with the UK on any such concerns. Ministry of external affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “We have seen the report and have been working closely with the UK side from the moment these concerns and issues were brought to our attention.”
He added that, "In the wake of the tragic crash, the concerned authorities had carried out identification of victims as per established protocols and technical requirements. All mortal remains were handled with utmost professionalism and with due regard for the dignity of the deceased. We are continuing to work with the UK authorities on addressing any concerns related to this issue."
Air India says it has not been involved in the identification. One executive pointed out that the identification was done by the hospital.
British disaster victim identification specialists were sent to Ahmedabad to assess local procedures.
A UK government spokesperson said: “Formal identification of bodies is a matter for the Indian authorities. We understand that this is an extremely distressing time for the families, and our thoughts remain with them.”
