Ahmedabad Plane Crash: Painful Wait For Victim Families Desperate For Closure Outside Civil Hospital
The hospital has asked for DNA samples to identify victims, promising results within 72 hours. But every hour feels heavier than the last.
Published : June 13, 2025 at 5:18 PM IST
Ahmedabad: The waiting hall at the Civil Hospital here is swarmed with anxious families of Air India plane crash victims, hoping against hope for survivors and closure.
A day after an Air India plane, bound for London, crashed into the BJ Medical College building shortly after takeoff, relatives of the passengers rushed to the hospital searching for their loved ones. The hospital has asked for DNA samples to identify victims, promising results within 72 hours. But every hour feels heavier than the last.
Among the desperate relatives was Rashid Patel, whose nephew, Sahil Patel, from Bharuch, is one of the many young dreamers aboard Flight AI-171. “It’s the not knowing. You can’t even cry properly when you don’t have the body,” he said.
Pacing near the blood collection counter of the hospital, Rashid clutched his phone tightly and waited for the announcement from the officials.
“I saw my nephew last time at 1:15 pm yesterday,” he said, as tears rolled down his cheeks. “He was only 25… going to London for the first time for his studies, but I think we won't be able to see him one last time.”
Sahil’s mother gave a blood sample, and the family is now waiting hours for the DNA match to identify his charred remains.
A few steps away, Payal Ben wipes her face, sobbing and exhausted. She has been at the hospital since Thursday afternoon searching for her mother (45) and niece (2). They were among the victims, killed at the hospital’s residential flats.
“Ma was in the kitchen when the plane hit. We didn’t even hear an explosion first… just chaos. The building… everything was gone,” she said.
The ill-fated plane had hit the residential block of the BJ Medical campus, where trainee doctors, hospital staff, and families lived. The impact had triggered a fire that spread rapidly, injuring several and killing 56 people there as well.
Another anxious relative is Prakash Bhai, who had dropped his son-in-law at the airport on Thursday morning. “He’d been living in London for 10 years. He was going back after visiting us. By the time I reached home, I got a call. The plane had crashed. We rushed here. His son gave a blood sample. Now, we’re just waiting.”
A similar heart-wrenching voice is that of Manish Kamdar, who travelled from Nagpur to look for his daughter, her mother-in-law, and his infant grandson, Rudra.
“The immigration officers detained them over passport issues. Rudra is a British citizen. They asked for £1,000 to let them go,” Kamdar alleged. “If they had followed the law instead of taking bribes, maybe Rudra would still be alive. "My daughter pleaded with them,” he said.
The crash also reflects stories of other lives shattered, like that of 15-year-old Akash, who was running a roadside tea stall to support his family but became the youngest victim on the ground.
“Akash was sitting on the cot to eat lunch. Suddenly, we heard a deafening sound. The plane came down, and flames were everywhere. His mother ran to save him, but the fire had already reached him. Akash died there. His mother is now in the ICU, badly burned,” said a family member.
With each passing minute, the wait multiplies the pain for the families. “These are not just numbers; they are sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, and children. And all their families want now is to bring them home,” said one of the people from the crowd.
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