Imtiyaz Ali Sayed’s resolve remains unbroken even as he navigates the sterile corridors of a hospital, desperately seeking confirmation of his brother Javed's fate after the tragic Air India flight crash in Ahmedabad. Despite the heart-wrenching news of the crash that claimed almost all 242 souls onboard, Mr. Sayed refuses to succumb to grief, believing that until he sees his brother's body, a flicker of hope still remains. “If I give up now, I might never recover,” he said, flipping through cherished photos of his family. His younger brother Javed was traveling with his wife and two children, and the family had been informed that only one person survived the disaster.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner fell in flames shortly after takeoff, crashing into a nearby medical college hostel. Eyewitness Mukesh described a scene of chaos, with debris raining down and panic descending upon the neighborhood. Unfortunately, the crash resulted in at least eight casualties on the ground, complicating the grim task of victim identification due to the severity of the wreckage.
Families of those who perished faced agonizing waits outside the Civil Hospital, where despair echoed through the hallways. Sameer Shaikh, whose son Irfan was an Air India crew member, found himself in disbelief when he learned of his son’s fate. "How can we wait three days when we know it's our son?" he lamented, grappling with the police's insistence on a DNA identification process.
In another poignant story, Payal Thakur anxiously searches for her mother, Sarla, who was working as a cook at the hostel where the plane struck. According to Payal, her mother opted to stay back to feed students, a harmless decision that turned into a nightmare when the aircraft crashed. Her father echoes her desperation, having found no trace of either Sarla or his niece amid the wreckage.
The crash shook not just the flight's passengers but also the students present at the medical college campus at the time, turning an ordinary afternoon into a scene of upheaval and horror. As students and faculty fled in panic, the sobering reality of the accident settled in—abandoning belongings and leaving many nursing serious injuries.
The emotional toll of the Air India tragedy continues to unfold, leaving an everlasting mark on the grieving families and the community in Ahmedabad.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner fell in flames shortly after takeoff, crashing into a nearby medical college hostel. Eyewitness Mukesh described a scene of chaos, with debris raining down and panic descending upon the neighborhood. Unfortunately, the crash resulted in at least eight casualties on the ground, complicating the grim task of victim identification due to the severity of the wreckage.
Families of those who perished faced agonizing waits outside the Civil Hospital, where despair echoed through the hallways. Sameer Shaikh, whose son Irfan was an Air India crew member, found himself in disbelief when he learned of his son’s fate. "How can we wait three days when we know it's our son?" he lamented, grappling with the police's insistence on a DNA identification process.
In another poignant story, Payal Thakur anxiously searches for her mother, Sarla, who was working as a cook at the hostel where the plane struck. According to Payal, her mother opted to stay back to feed students, a harmless decision that turned into a nightmare when the aircraft crashed. Her father echoes her desperation, having found no trace of either Sarla or his niece amid the wreckage.
The crash shook not just the flight's passengers but also the students present at the medical college campus at the time, turning an ordinary afternoon into a scene of upheaval and horror. As students and faculty fled in panic, the sobering reality of the accident settled in—abandoning belongings and leaving many nursing serious injuries.
The emotional toll of the Air India tragedy continues to unfold, leaving an everlasting mark on the grieving families and the community in Ahmedabad.
