Air India pilot Sumit Sabharwal's family in mourning, father inconsolable
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The aftermath of the Air India 171 crash has left families shattered and inconsolable. Bodies are being moved to cold storage as DNA tests begin for identification.
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Mint
22 minutes ago
- Mint
Air India crash: 32 of 241 victims onboard identified via DNA tests; 14 bodies handed over to kin 3 days after tragedy
Three days after the London-bound Air India 171 flight crashed into BJ medical college moments after taking off, authorities have so far identified 32 victims through DNA testing and bodies of 14 have been handed over to their families, an official said on Sunday. A total of 241 passengers and crew on board were killed in the tragedy besides 29, including 5 MBBS students, who died at the college mess in Meghaninagar area. One British passenger miraculously survived. The victims identified so far were from different places in Gujarat and Rajasthan, he said. "Thirty two DNA samples have matched till now, and 14 bodies have already been handed over to the respective families. These deceased were from Udaipur, Vadodara, Kheda, Mehsana, Arvalli, Ahmedabad and Botad districts," Additional civil superintendent Dr Rajnish Patel mentioned. As many of the bodies were burnt beyond recognition or damaged otherwise, authorities are carrying out DNA tests to establish the identity of victims of the horrific tragedy. The process of DNA matching of former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, who also died in the June 12 plane crash, was underway, Patel told reporters. As many as 230 teams were formed to coordinate with the victims' families, officials earlier said. Gujarat Relief Commissioner and Revenue Secretary Alok Pandey informed reporters on Saturday that, to prevent any administrative difficulties, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation will issue death certificates on the spot. Following this, the village patwari will promptly provide a family relation card to ensure that families do not encounter any issues related to inheritance. "A grief counsellor will be assigned to every family to deal with the mental trauma," Alok stated.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Air India plane crash latest: Pilot's last words revealed as families wait anxiously for bodies of victims
Indian aviation officials have confirmed that the final words of the pilot of the doomed Air India Flight 171, moments before the plane crashed into buildings near Ahmedabad 's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, were Mayday distress calls. 'Thrust not achieved... falling... Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!' the pilot said before the catastrophic crash that killed at least 270 people on Thursday. The Boeing Dreamliner, with 242 people on board bound for Gatwick Airport, began losing height seconds after take-off and erupted in a fireball as it hit buildings, in what has been the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. India has ordered all Boeing 787s being operated by local carriers to be inspected. The company said it will provide an interim payment of Rs2.5m (£21,000) each to the families of the deceased and to the survivor, to help address immediate financial needs, in addition to Rs10m (£85,000) in support announced previously by the Tata Group. Ahmedabad hospital to collect the bodies of victims. He flew home to bury his father. The Air India crash took his life nside a modest two-bedroom apartment in India's Ahmedabad, Ravina Daniyal Christian clutches the edge of her tear-soaked scarf. The home is crowded with relatives but the only voice that carries through the room is hers – spilling with loss. Just fifteen days ago, she buried her husband. On 12 June, her 30-year-old son Lawrence Daniyal Christian, who had come home from London to perform the last rites of his father, was killed in the catastrophic Air India crash that has claimed at least 270 lives. That final act of love has become a mother's worst nightmare. Namita Singh reports from Ahmedabad. He flew home to bury his father. The Air India crash took his life As families wait for DNA tests to confirm the identities of their loved ones who perished in the Air India crash, harrowing stories emerge from the decade's worst aviation disaster, Namita Singh reports from Ahmedabad Stuti Mishra15 June 2025 08:15 On the ground at Ahmedabad hospital as Air India crash death toll updated Stuti Mishra Pilot's last words were 'Mayday' Indian aviation officials have confirmed that the final words of the pilot of the doomed Air India Flight 171, moments before the plane crashed into buildings near Ahmedabad 's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, were Mayday distress calls. 'Thrust not achieved... falling... Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!' the pilot said before the catastrophic crash that killed at least 270 people on Thursday. The call was received at air traffic control (ATC) seconds before all communications stopped. Stuti Mishra15 June 2025 07:13 Newlywed heading to London among Air India crash victims as family awaits her body Khushboo Rajpurohit, 21, was among the victims of the Air India Express crash. On Sunday, her family gathered outside the mortuary complex at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital to collect her mortal remains. 'We have been told that the body will be handed over shortly. She last spoke to her father before he dropped her off,' a relative told The Independent. Her uncle, Kishore Rajpurohit, 56, said Khushboo had only recently married and was preparing to start a new life in London. 'She got married on 17 January this year and was awaiting visa clearance to be able to travel to London and live with her husband,' he said. Her father had gone to the airport to see her off. 'He waited till she boarded and had not even crossed Mehsana when we learnt of the crash,' Mr Rajpurohit added. The family was informed on Sunday morning by a government-appointed nodal officer that a DNA match had confirmed Khushboo's identity. 15 June 2025 06:45 Ambulance drivers on standby as Gujarat officials begin transporting crash victims' bodies Ambulance drivers from across Gujarat have been stationed outside Ahmedabad Civil Hospital as authorities begin handing over the bodies of victims from the Air India crash. Mahindra Singh, a 45-year-old ambulance driver from Kheda, said he had been waiting since morning. 'I have come from Kheda. I've been told to carry two bodies. I've come just with the staff. I've been here since Saturday morning, around 10 or 11am,' he told The Independent. Mr Singh explained that the coordination process is strictly managed by government officials. 'First I will receive a call that the body is ready for transportation. We are not supposed to contact the families. A nodal officer from here will inform the families at home that the mortal remains have been dispatched,' he said. Bharat Godia, who arrived from Kutch, said they had brought multiple ambulances on orders from the district administration. 'We've been told by the Kutch administration that we are to bring back the bodies of those killed in the plane crash. We have at least five ambulances from Kutch. Government officials will be accompanying the bodies,' he said. Earlier, a relative of one of the victims told The Independent that each bereaved family has been assigned a nodal officer, who will contact them once a DNA match has been confirmed. Namita Singh15 June 2025 06:20 Families begin receiving bodies of Air India crash victims under tight police security There is a heavy police presence around the mortuary complex at Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad, as the painful process of body handover begins. According to officials on duty, at least 19 bodies have been handed over to the kin of the plane crash victims so far. However, there has been no official confirmation. Namita Singh15 June 2025 05:44 Watch | King holds minute's silence for Air India crash victims Jabed Ahmed15 June 2025 04:00 'My grandson was burnt alive': Grief engulfs neighbourhood where Air India crash killed dozens on the ground Miracle sole survivor of Air India flight 171 reveals how he escaped the wreckage British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh spoke from his hospital bed following the fireball crash in Ahmedabad Jabed Ahmed15 June 2025 03:00 Watch | Air India crash sole survivor recalls how he escaped plane 15 June 2025 02:00 UK student missed doomed Air India flight by minutes: 'It's a miracle' UK student missed doomed Air India flight by minutes: 'It's a miracle' The 28-year-old, who lives in Bristol, said she felt 'totally numb' after finding out the flight had crashed, killing 241 people Jabed Ahmed15 June 2025 01:00
The Print
2 hours ago
- The Print
Post Air India crash, Vadodara coffin maker races to deliver 100. Last bulk order was after Bhuj earthquake
In a large hall of the church, Nelvin's family and a dozen others from the Christian community are racing to finish the order, so that the coffins can be sent to the Civil Hospital Ahmedabad where the bodies are being kept. Nelvin wasn't prepared for such a large request. 'But I couldn't say no. This work is for the country. Even small children died in the accident,' he said to ThePrint, never pausing as he continued building coffins at the Centenary Methodist Church complex in Vadodara's Fatehganj area. Vadodara: Around 8 pm Friday—a day after the Air India 171 crash—Nelvin Bhai Rajwadi got a call from an Air India official in Ahmedabad. The official placed an urgent order for 100 coffins. Nelvin recalled, 'When I first got the call, I thought it would be just for a few coffins, but it turned out to be a bulk order. Within 2 hours, with support from the community, we managed to arrange plywood, white cloth, and other materials needed to make them,' he said. 'For the past 24 hours, we've been working non-stop.' Around 15 members of the Christian community were involved in the effort. On Friday night, plywood and cloth were transported to the church complex, and work began. 'We worked all night together to finish and help the administration in this tough time. We took it as a challenge…. We got a chance to serve the country and this is our contribution,' said Nelvin, adding that a coffin that would normally costs Rs 6,000 is being provided for Rs 3,000 for this order. On Saturday night at 10 pm, when ThePrint reached the Church complex, 35 coffins were loaded on the truck and sent to Ahmedabad. Nelvin is the only one to have received a bulk order. The administration ordered a few from Ahmedabad before the process of handing over bodies to families began Saturday. On Thursday afternoon, the London-bound Air India flight crashed near Ahmedabad airport minutes after takeoff. The flight was carrying 242 people, including crew members. All but one passenger—a British national of Indian origin—died in the crash. The crash also claimed several more lives when the aircraft slammed into the hostel mess of BJ Medical College. Most of the bodies, charred beyond recognition, are in the process of being identified through DNA testing. Civil Hospital Ahmedabad has also collected DNA samples from the relatives of all passengers and crew members who were on board the aircraft for DNA matching. The Gujarat government has created 230 teams to establish contact with families of victims of the plane crash. Also read: This Air India crash eyewitness cheated death by a whisker—'a blast, then a fireball, just 200 m away' In coffin making for three decades Nelvin, 60, has been in the coffin-making business for over three decades. The last time he received a bulk order from the administration was during the 2001 Bhuj earthquake. Nelvin recalled that during the Bhuj earthquake, they made coffins right on the roadside and managed to dispatch 40 of them at record speed. He has also supplied coffins to the Railways and the Air Force. Nelvin also runs an ambulance service in Vadodara. Until last year, he held a technical position at MS University, Vadodara, before retiring. 'We have seen many tough times but the scale this time is very big,' said Nelvin. It takes about 2 and a half hours to make one coffin which has a standard size of 6 feet by 2 feet, said Sanjeev, who has been doing this work for years. 'It's a difficult task,' he said, while fastening a coffin with a stapler, 'but it's nothing compared to what the families who lost their loved ones are going through.' Explaining the process, Sanjeev said that first a structure of a coffin is made from the raw material and then white cloth is wrapped around it. 'Nelvin bhai got a call and then reached out to everyone. We gathered here and started working. We're doing this for the people of the country,' said Aldrin Thomas, a social worker based in Vadodara. Breena Rajvadi, wife of Nelvin's son Arnish, immediately stepped in to help with the coffin-making as soon as she heard about the order. When I heard about the crash, I had a feeling that my father-in-law might get a call for coffins,' said Breena. 'We were thinking that Papa might be contacted, given the scale of the tragedy. And the next day, we got the order.' She added that making the coffins at speed has been an incredibly challenging task. Arnish, too, is hard at work beside his family. 'Mentally we were not prepared but we are working continuously to complete it. We worked all night and started working as soon as we got the phone call,' he said. (Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri) Also read: Air India crash: All 4 hostel buildings of BJ Medical College emptied amid site investigation
