Families in the United Kingdom mourning the loss of loved ones in the tragic Air India AI-171 crash have been left shocked after reportedly receiving the wrong mortal remains, according to multiple media reports.

The flight, which crashed on 12 June 2025 while flying from Ahmedabad to London, claimed the lives of 261 passengers, including 52 British nationals. Now, a fresh wave of grief has hit some families after discovering the remains sent to them did not belong to their relatives.

Coffins contain wrong bodies, some mixed remains

According to Mirror UK, at least one British family had to cancel funeral plans after finding out that the coffin contained the body of an unknown person, not their loved one. In another troubling case, remains of more than one individual were found in a single casket. These “commingled” remains had to be carefully separated before the last rites could be performed over the weekend.

Families are now increasingly worried that more such mistakes could surface as identifications continue.

The mistake was reportedly discovered when Dr Fiona Wilcox, a coroner in Inner West London, attempted to match the DNA of a deceased victim with the samples submitted by their family. This DNA mismatch raised concerns that other remains might have also been wrongly identified or mishandled.

Speaking to the press, aviation lawyer James Healy-Pratt shared how deeply this has affected the families.

“I've been sitting down in the homes of these lovely British families over the last month, and the first thing they want is their loved ones back... But some of them have got the wrong remains, and they are clearly distraught over this. It has been going on for a couple of weeks, and I think these families deserve an explanation.”

The issue has reportedly reached the highest levels of government. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to raise the matter during his state meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the latter’s visit to the UK next week.

So far, two confirmed cases of mistaken remains have been found, but families fear the number could be higher. The incident has added to the pain of those already grappling with the loss of loved ones in one of the year’s worst aviation tragedies.

You might also be interested in - Reporter asks Trump why Kiss Cam couple is more famous than his attacker