earlier this month in the western city of Ahmedabad. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with 242 people on board, bound for London's Gatwick Airport, lost height seconds after taking off from Ahmedabad on June 12 and erupted in a fireball as it hit a medical college hostel.

There was one survivor among those on the plane, and the crash also killed 19 people on ground.

The death count was below the authorities' earlier estimate of 270 but officials remained cautious on the final toll.

"We have identified 259 victims. They include 240 passengers and 19 non-passengers. DNA test result of one passenger is still awaited," said Rakesh Joshi, superintendent of Ahmedabad civil hospital.

"The site of the crash is still being cleared. Unless we are certain that no additional victims are going to be found, we cannot declare the final death toll," Joshi added. The remains of the 256 people have been handed over to their families, the local government said in a statement, adding that 253 victims were identified through DNA sample matching and the remaining six through facial identification.