Sun Jun 29 20:10:00 UTC 2025: ## Gujarat Family Finds Closure as Last AI-171 Crash Victim Identified

**Dahinsara, Kutch -** After a harrowing wait, the family of Anil Khimani, a 32-year-old resident of Dahinsara village, Kutch, has finally received confirmation of his death in the tragic Air India AI-171 crash on June 12th. Gujarat government officials confirmed a DNA match late Friday, identifying Khimani as the final victim of the disaster.

The news, though confirming their worst fears, brings a sense of closure to the Khimani family, who had already performed a symbolic funeral for Anil on Thursday. Rakesh Khimani, Anil’s brother, expressed relief at the news. “It will at least give us the solace of knowing that we were able to give him a respectful farewell,” he stated, adding that the family feared never recovering his body.

Anil, a skilled tile setter, was traveling to the UK for the first time on a visitor visa to visit relatives. According to the flight manifest, he was seated in 21G on the ill-fated flight.

The family traveled to Ahmedabad on Saturday to collect Anil’s remains and return to their village for the final rites. Rakesh described the agonizing wait for identification, explaining that after his father’s DNA sample yielded no match, his mother provided a sample which ultimately led to the positive identification.

According to a government release, Gujarat Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Rushikesh Patel, confirmed that all 260 deceased individuals from the AI-171 crash, including 241 passengers, have been identified and their bodies handed over to their respective families. Of these, 254 were identified through DNA matching and six through facial recognition. Patel praised the collaborative efforts of the health department, police, Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), and the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation in expediting the identification process.

The passengers on the flight included 181 Indian nationals, 52 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian national.

**[Separate, unrelated news item included at the end of the original text]**

**Iran Reopens Airspace:** Following a 12-day conflict with Israel, Iran has reopened its central and western airspace to international transit flights, facilitating the resumption of regional air traffic and allowing international carriers to once again traverse Iranian airspace.

Read More