The mortal remains of all the military personnel killed in the Mi-17V5 chopper crash have been positively identified, defence officials said late on Saturday morning.
While six of the mortal remains were handed over to the families in the day, the remaining four which were confirmed late in the day would be handed over to the family members on Sunday morning, they said.
“The positive identification of the mortal remains of Lance Naik B Sai Teja and Lance Naik Vivek Kumar has been done and they have been released to close family members,” an Army official said. The mortal remains of all four IAF crew were also identified and handed over.
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Wreaths will be laid on Sunday at the Base Hospital, Delhi Cantt, for the mortal remains of Lt. Col. Harjinder Singh, Hav Satpal Rai, Naik Gursewak Singh, Naik Jitendra Kumar prior to departure.
The last rites of Lt. Col. Harjinder Singh are likely to take place at Brar Square on Sunday, a defence official said. The positive identification of the last four mortal remains was done through DNA testing, the official said.
The ill-fated chopper crashed on Wednesday afternoon killing 13 of the 14 onboard. For the six mortal remains identified earlier in the day, which includes Lance Naik B Sai Teja and Lance Naik Vivek Kumar and the four IAF chopper crew, wreath laying was done and the remains were sent to their respective destinations in an IAF transport aircraft.
The last rites will be performed with appropriate military honours, the official said.
Lone survivor Gp. Capt. Varun Singh’s medical condition continues to remain critical but stable.
