Chopper crash: DNA test will confirm identify of sixth victim
MUMBAI:While bodies of five of the seven people on board a Pawan Hans helicopter that crashed off Mumbai coast on Saturday have been found, the Navy personnel have found body parts and a lower limb from the search area.
The helicopter, which crashed minutes after it took off from Juhu aerodrome, was carrying two pilots and five Oil and Natural Gas (ONGC) officials to the Bombay High offshore oil field.
Forensic experts said only a DNA test can confirm if the body parts belong to VK Bindu Lal Babu, deputy general manager, ONGC; or Captain VC Katoch, co-pilot of the helicopter.
Friends and families of the victims were at Nanavati Hospital where the bodies were being brought. While Garg’s body was identified using the ONGC identity card, the rest were ascertained with body marks, jewellery and clothes. In their official statement released on Sunday, ONGC spokesperson said bodies of PN Srinivasan, R Saravanan, Jose Antony, Pankaj Garg and Captain Ramesh Ohatkar (pilot of the helicopter) have been identified. “The identification process for the sixth body is still on,” the statement read.
A senior official from Pawan Hans said after initial identification of bodies at Nanavati, Babu’s wife was again called to the postmortem centre on Sunday morning. “Babu’s wife said it may not be her husband’s leg. We are considering calling Katoch’s family,” a Pawan Hans official said.
Forensic experts from Dr RN Cooper Municipal General Hospital’s post-mortem centre said the bodies of the victims were brought from Nanavati Hospital after the identification and police documentation started at 12.30am. The body parts of two of the victims were sent for autopsy.
“All the bodies were in fragmented state and had multiple fractures, deep cuts and other injuries. We suspect some of them were hit by the rotor blades of the helicopter. None of them had burns so occurrence of a blast is ruled out,” said experts.
“We have sent hair and skin samples of victims to Kalina Forensic Laboratory for DNA testing. Final identification will take place once the lab submits its findings,” said experts.