Why us? The emotional aftermath of Ahmedabad plane crash
AHMEDABAD: The air was thick with grief and disbelief in the aftermath of the devastating plane crash in Ahmedabad, as families rushed to the Civil Hospital in search of answers, hope, or perhaps just closure.
The raw emotions ranged widely: a husband plagued by guilt after losing his wife; a father angrily refusing to accept that his son was gone; and others swinging rapidly between denial and devastation.
The psychiatrists listened often in silence, offering an empathetic presence.
The devastating air crash on June 12 had shaken the city and their lives to the core.
For many, it marked the beginning of an emotional journey more harrowing than they could have imagined.
Amid the chaos, the Department of Psychiatry at B J Medical College here swung into immediate action.
A team of psychiatrists five senior residents and five consultants were deployed around the clock across the hospital's Kasauti Bhavan, the postmortem building, and the civil superintendent's office.
Their mission: to support the surviving families through the mental trauma of a tragedy.
So far, the identity of 259 victims, including 199 Indians and 60 nationals of the UK, Portugal and Canada, has been established, while 256 bodies have been handed over to their families.
"The accident was unimaginable. Even bystanders were disturbed. Then what must be the condition of someone who lost their loved one?" said Dr Minakshi Parikh, Dean and Head of Psychiatry at BJMC.
"If the people who heard the news were so disturbed, then it is not even within our scope to imagine the state of mind of the family members of people who lost their lives," she told PTI.
With horrifying images of the crash already circulating, families poured in numb, desperate, and clinging to threads of hope.
The mention of a lone survivor sent hearts racing. Many believed needed to believe it could be their loved one.
"There was an uncertainty whether one would be able to identify the loved ones they have lost and wait for matching of the DNA samples for three days. In some cases, samples of another relative of the kin had to be taken. The shock would have logically led to acute stress reactions and post-traumatic stress disorder," Dr Parikh said.
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