DGCA, DNA experts to probe; Black box still untraceable

Forensic experts from Hyderabad arrived here
on Sunday morning to conduct DNA tests to help identify several bodies charred beyond recognition in Saturday's Air India Express plane crash that killed 158 people, police and hospital officials said. The number of bodies to be identified with DNA tests is still not clear as relatives and friends of the victims continued their efforts to try and recognise their near and dear ones through the night at the government Wenlock hospital mortuary.
A Wenlock hospital spokesperson said around 80 bodies have been identified and will be handed over to the relatives.
All eight survivors of the crash, being treated at various hospitals in the city, were out of danger. Most of them had suffered cuts, bruises or minor burn injuries. However, the search for the digital cockpit voice recorder
and the flight data recorder of the ill-fated Air India aircraft that crashed here on Saturday was still on, more than 24 hours after the disaster. Together called the black box, the equipment gives crucial inputs to investigators on the causes of air mishaps. A sturdy system the size of shoe boxes, it can withstand extreme temperatures.
It records the conversations inside the cockpit and those with the air traffic controllers, among its other uses, giving vital clues to the cause of any air disaster.
A team of officials of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) joined the search at the crash site, police said here. "Yes, the search for the recorders is still on. Our team, along with firefighters, is looking
for it. It's just a matter of time before we locate it," a DGCA official said. Heart-rending scenes were witnessed at Wenlock as grieving relatives and friends had to go through the traumatic experience of looking at scores of badly burnt bodies to identify them. Among the 158 dead were 19 children and four infants. The IX 812 Dubai-Mangalore flight overshot the runway while landing at the Bajpe airport, about 20 km away, early on Saturday and caught fire after plunging about 300 metres into a cliff. All passengers were Indians, many returning home from Dubai where they worked.