Lessons from M’luru air crash: ‘Ensure DVI before handing over charred bodies’

Mangaluru: “Ensure Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) is done before handing over the charred bodies of the victims of Ahmedabad air crash,” says A Prabhakar Sharma who had served as in-charge chairman of Dakshina Kannada district disaster management authority (DDMA) during the 2010 Air India Express flight crash (IX-812) in Kenjar, on city’s outskirts.

The AI Express flight from Dubai to Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) had overshot the runway landing in a gorge in Kenjar on May 22, 2010. Out of the 166 people inside the aircraft only eight passengers, including a woman, had survived the crash. “The lessons learnt from the first-of-its-kind disaster needs to be shared as such mistakes should not be repeated,” said Prabhakar Sharma.

Dr Suresh Shetty of Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, KMC, Mangaluru, says a make-shift mortuary should have been built near the airport instead of shifting them in ambulances to district Wenlock hospital. The process of identification of 158 bodies should have been conducted by certified forensic experts. 

“This resulted in a mad scramble. Relatives in desperation and fear of not receiving any compensation if the bodies were not found took the first bodies they found.  The presence of passengers travelling with fake passports also had worsened the situation. Chaos broke out at the mortuary of Wenlock hospital and added to the mounting pressure on police and officials,” Dr Shetty said.

Had we not handed over the bodies, there would have been a stampede, recollects Prabahakar Sharma who was then serving as in-charge DK deputy commissioner. Due to the failure in implementing disaster verification identification, the district administration was left with 22 unclaimed bodies. After the DNA results, 11 bodies were not claimed due to a mismatch. 

“Even after 15 years, I still feel the pain of having deprived 11 families of conducting the final rites of near and dear ones,” says Prabhakar Sharma. However steps like setting up single window system to issue death certificate, post-mortem reports and releasing state government’s interim compensation through Tahsildars had received wide praise. 

Prabhakar recollects with gratitude how then Commissioner of Police Seemant Kumar Singh, elected representatives, contractors, private hospitals (for keeping bodies in their cold chambers), then NMPT Chairman Tamilvanan had risen to the occasion to ensure a dignified cremation for the 11 unclaimed bodies in Tannirubhavi. Hassan, who lost his wife and three children in the air crash, says the aircrash in Ahmedabad had revived his nightmares.

Legal advisor to families of Mangaluru Air crash victims Varadaraj Kayyangal told DH, when contacted, that a case filed with regard to compensation is still being heard in Supreme Court.