Ahmedabad: The number of identified victims of the AI 171 crash on June 12 reached 259 on Monday, with two new identifications in the 24 hours ending 6pm. According to officials, the number includes 253 individuals — 240 persons aboard along with 13 non-passengers — who were identified from DNA matches. The remaining six were identified from their facial features, they added.Dr Rakesh Joshi, medical superintendent of Civil Hospital, said that out of 259, the mortal remains of 256 have been handed over to family members. “The only three bodies remaining are of the UK nationals. While the mortal remains of two will be taken any time to the UK for the last rites, one family has informed us that they will take possession of the mortal remains on Wednesday,” he said.According to govt figures, out of 241 passengers who died in the crash and subsequent inferno at the medical hostel in the Meghaninagar area, 240 have been identified. The majority of those who lost their lives on the ground have also been identified. Sources said that “only a few” samples remain to be processed for DNA identification in labs in Gandhinagar. Dr Joshi told the media that it is natural for the number of samples handed over to forensic experts to be higher than the deceased. “Due to the condition of the bodies, it is likely that more than one sample of the same person may have been sent for analysis,” he said.The mortal remains handed over to the relatives include 73 from Ahmedabad, 29 from Anand, 24 from Vadodara, 12 from Surat, 11 from Kheda, 10 from London, and seven from Gandhinagar, among others. Among the passengers with domicile of a foreign nation, bodies of 49 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian national had been handed over as of Monday evening. About 28 of the total mortal remains have been sent by air within India and outside, added Civil Hospital officials.