Ahmedabad Plane Crash: An Agonising Wait For The Families Of Crash Victims

The day after the crash, the action moved from the site in Meghaninagar to the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad. All the bodies that were removed from the mangled wreckage of the plane were brought to the post mortem unit of the Civil Hospital. A DNA sample connection unit was also set up inside the campus. The families of the victims started coming to the campus from early morning. The collected samples were sent for DNA identification. Authorities informed the families that it would be 72 hours before they’d get results. The kin—mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, wives, and husbands— had no option but to wait. Most of them had come from different towns and cities of Gujarat; some from other states like Rajasthan, had no option but to wait. While accommodation arrangements are made for them, some of the families cannot bear to be away from the campus—not wanting to miss out on any developments, they’ve decided to stay there. 

At the DNA sample room and post mortem unit, it was all hands-on deck and the doctors and staff had been working without any break. But the procedures were taking too long and the families were getting impatient. 

Sitting on a bench opposite the post mortem room, where ambulances were busy transporting bodies and samples from one site to the other, was Junaid with his uncle. His uncle’s brother and his 1.5-year-old daughter were in the ill-fated flight. His brother worked in London and the father and daughter were returning to their mother. While the authorities have already declared that there are no survivors, the mother is still hopeful of some miracle.

“We have told her the truth, but she is not willing to accept the reality. We, as a family, will get a closure only after we will receive the bodies. But this wait is too long and painful. It’s impacting us emotionally. It’s not easy to come here and sit here every day and just wait. We have already given our DNA samples. We request the authorities to release the bodies as soon as possible so that we can start grieving,” said Junaid. 

Sitting beneath the tree was Champa, along with other women. This group was sitting away from all the action and the media. The heat and humidity were unbearable this afternoon. Champa and her family run a tea stall next to the crash site. Their ordinary lives changed completely in one afternoon, when the plane crashed into the near-by residential buildings.

Videos from the day show people running away from the ball of fire. Champa lost her young nephew in the crash. His mother suffered 50 per cent burn injuries and was admitted to the hospital. The father is too distraught. The families have given their DNA samples. Now they waiting, like others.

“We request the authorities to end this painful wait. They must release the bodies now so that we can give decent funerals to our loved ones. We need to move on but it won’t be possible until that happen,” she says.