At Ahmedabad crematorium, myriad of eyes brimming with tears & sea of people lining up to pay respects
Ahmedabad: The last rites of four victims of the Air India crash were held Sunday at the Thaltej electric crematorium in Ahmedabad, three days after the fatal incident.
ThePrint was present at the crematorium, 12 km from the Civil Hospital. The bodies had been dropped off there by the hospital ambulances.
Swapnil's family had received a phone call around 9 am Sunday to receive his body. His family initially waited for a few hours so that they could also cremate Yoga and Alpa—his wife and sister-in-law, respectively, who were also killed in the crash—along with him.
But as they are yet to hear about Yoga and Alpa's remains, they had to perform the last rites for Swapnil alone. Swapnil, Yoga and Alpa were on the London-bound flight on 12 June for a family trip.
The Air India 171 flight was carrying 242 passengers, 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.
'Identification of the bodies takes time, so we decided to collect Swapnil bhai's body and belongings,' said Vikas Patel, a family friend of the Soni family. Patel accompanied Swapnil's elder brother's son and some other relatives to receive his body around 3 pm.
Swapnil and his wife Yoga are survived by their two children. Their elder son Sidh Soni was present at the crematorium. All members of the family were teary-eyed as they hugged the 14-year-old to console him.
Alpa is survived by her husband, Swapnil's elder brother Nishith Soni, and their son.
The hospital administration handed over Swapnil's remains in a coffin, along with his watch and clothes. 'The Soni family is very well respected in Ahmedabad,' Patel said. The family resides in the Bopal area of Ahmedabad, and has been involved in the business of industrial rubber moulds. Their company IRM Offshore and Marine Engineers has various offices outside India, including Amsterdam, Netherlands.
The Modi siblings and Megha Mehta were cremated before Swapnil.
The bodies of the victims are gradually being handed over to the kin, starting Saturday afternoon. As of Sunday, the bodies of 33 victims have been handed over to their respective families. The DNA of former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, who also lost his life in the crash, was matched Sunday.
The Tata Group, which operates Air India, has announced the compensation of Rs 1 crore to the kin of all the victims of the crash, besides covering the medical expenses of the injured.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
Also Read: Clinging to memories & awaiting closure, 2 families wait for bodies of loved ones lost in Air India crash
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