Vijay Rupani's last rites today; 2,000kg flowers to adorn hearse
What's the story
The last rites of former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who died in a plane crash near Ahmedabad last week, will be performed with full state honors on Monday.
His mortal remains will be handed over to his family at the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad at 11:30am and then flown to Rajkot for the final rites.
The funeral is scheduled to take place at 5:00pm.
Funeral arrangements
Body to be kept for public viewing
After the formalities at the Civil Hospital, Rupani's mortal remains will be flown to Rajkot, where they are expected to arrive by 2:00pm.
His body will be kept for public viewing for an hour before the last rites.
Reportedly, 2,000 kg of flowers will adorn the hearse van carrying his mortal remains.
State mourning
One-day state mourning in Gujarat
The former CM was among 241 people on board who died in the tragic crash of flight AI-171 on June 12, with the total death toll, including on-ground fatalities, being 274.
The sole crash survivor is an Indian-British national, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh.
The Gujarat government has announced a one-day state mourning in honor of Rupani, who served as the state's 16th CM from August 2016 to September 2021.
Crash aftermath
Flight AI171 crash details
The London-bound Air India flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with 242 people on board, crashed shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.
It hit a doctors' hostel at BJ Medical College, causing a massive fire.
Gujarat Health Minister Rushikesh Patel confirmed that 274 people have died in the crash, including 33 on-ground deaths.
Identification and support
DNA matching of victims underway
So far, the DNA of 45 victims has been matched with relatives.
The identification process is being led by the state's Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU).
FSL Director HP Sanghavi said DNA testing is necessary due to the extreme heat from the fire, which made traditional identification methods impossible.
On Saturday, Air India announced ₹25 lakh interim financial assistance for the victims' families in addition to ₹1 crore compensation from Tata Sons.