Source: Government of India
Source: Government of India (4)
As the nation comes to terms with the devastating crash of Air India Flight AI-171, grief has swept across households, with families mourning the loss of loved ones in what is being counted among India’s worst aviation disasters.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, flying from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport on June 12, ramming into a nearby hostel. Only one passenger survived, while casualties on the ground are also feared.
Among the victims was Anju Sharma, originally from Kurukshetra and living in Vadodara with her family. She was on her way to London to visit her elder daughter when the crash occurred.
Her uncle, Balkishan Sharma, said he was deeply shaken. “I rarely watch TV. She was my brother’s eldest daughter. I found out about the tragedy from the news.”
In Uttarsanda village in Gujarat’s Kheda district, the family of Rupal Patel is mourning her death. A resident of London for 15 years and mother of three, Rupal had returned to India for medical treatment.
“My sister came for a week for treatment. After her operation, she was feeling well. She was happy to return to her husband and three children in London. I dropped her at the airport, and by the time I got home, I heard the devastating news,” said her brother, Pawan Patel.
Rupal was seated in 19J on the flight. After being informed of the crash, her husband left London immediately with their children — a 13-year-old and twin 7-year-olds — to travel to Gujarat. “The kids were waiting for their mother to return. They had no idea she would never come back,” her husband said.
In Ahmedabad, families waited overnight outside BJ Medical College as forensic teams carried out DNA sampling to identify the deceased, many of whom were burned beyond recognition.
“Smoke suddenly rose high in the sky. There was fire. The flight had crashed, there were many people on board,” said Jairam, an eyewitness who lives around two kilometres from the site.
The list of passengers on flight AI-171 showed that at least 33 of them were from Gujarat’s Anand district, 19 from Vadodara, and 17 from Kheda.
The government has promised full support to the victims’ families and a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash.
IANS