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The recent plane crash involving an Air India passenger jet aeroplane has left 158 people dead; only eight out of the total of 166 have survived. The black box has not yet been found and much speculation still remains as to whether there was something wrong with the plane, human error or the Mangalore airport at which it was destined to land. Identifying some of the victims will require DNA testing.
The crash has left a number of people unidentified and a team of experts have stepped in to help identify these victims. DNA testing comes in because the bodies have been so badly burned in the plane crash and the intense heat generated by the burning fuels that they cannot be identified by simply looking at the body.
How does One Identify remains Using DNA?
Our genetic makeup is unique to each and every one of us. DNA analysts would need to see which is the most viable sample to use in cases were bodies have been exposed to excessive heat; under such circumstances many otherwise potential DNA sources are destroyed or the DNA would be degraded to such an extent that it would not yield and results. Samples taken from hair, nails or skin would not be feasible as these are entirely destroyed; however, it is possible to use bones or teeth and other DNA samples that may have somehow been protected from the destructive heat. DNA using sophisticated forensic DNA testing technology can extract DNA even from very degraded samples.
Once the scientists have a DNA profile from the remains of the victim they can then take DNA samples from alleged relatives such as brothers, sisters or children of the deceased. They then conduct an analysis which will compare the degree of similarity between the DNA of the alleged living relative and the DNA of the body that was found in the Air India crash. Depending on the proximity of relationship between the people, the relationship can be determined with increased or decreased accuracy.
Where Have things Gone Wrong?
The DNA testing results and the matching of the deceased to their living relatives has been found to be prone to errors in some instances. This means that some relatives may have been mourning over the wrong body. A number of bodies, around 6, are too badly charred to extract any genetic material for DNA analysis and likely these bodies will not be accurately identified. Some other DNA profiles taken from the victims have not provided any conclusive matches with people making claims over relatives lost in the crash.
Where DNA testing has failed, it is likely that there can be no conclusive identification of the bodies. However, scientists will try until they have exhausted all possibilities. |
