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Air India Crash-Tearful families gathered across India on Sunday to hold funerals for their loved ones lost in one of the deadliest aviation disasters in recent history. The catastrophic crash of an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner in Ahmedabad has left at least 279 people dead, marking it as one of the world’s worst air tragedies in decades.
The ill-fated flight, bound for London, crashed just moments after takeoff on Thursday, slamming into a residential neighborhood and igniting a massive fireball. The aircraft was carrying 242 passengers and crew, with only one survivor. The crash also crashed at least 38 lives on the ground as the plane destroyed multiple buildings used by medical staff.
As rescue and recovery efforts continue, the grim task of identifying the dead is underway. Health authorities in Ahmedabad have started handing over the first identified bodies, which were placed in plain white coffins and delivered to grieving relatives. The identification process, reliant on DNA testing due to the severe burns and disfigurement of many bodies, is painstaking and slow.
At the city’s civil hospital mortuary, Tushar Leuva, a local NGO worker assisting in recovery efforts, expressed the emotional weight of the process. “My heart is very heavy,” he said. “How do we give the bodies to the families? How will they react when they open the gate? But we have to do it.”
Grieving Families Begin Funerals for Victims of Devastating Air India Crash
To preserve the dignity of the deceased and to avoid further trauma, families have been advised not to open the coffins. A relative of one of the victims, speaking anonymously, confirmed they were instructed to refrain from viewing the remains upon receipt.
The chaos and horror of the crash site have left deep emotional scars. Witnesses described charred bodies, burning buildings, and scattered remains. Emergency responders faced a challenging environment, made worse by intense heat and wreckage.
By Sunday morning, 31 victims had been officially identified through DNA analysis. Dr. Rajnish Patel, a senior official at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, emphasized the importance of precision in the process. “This is a meticulous and slow process, so it has to be done carefully,” he explained.
Meanwhile, the majority of those injured on the ground during the crash have been treated and discharged. Only a few remain in critical condition, Patel said.
Among the 242 passengers and crew on board were 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, seven Portuguese, a Canadian, and 12 crew members. The sole survivor, identified as British citizen Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, escaped the wreckage under miraculous circumstances. Tragically, his own brother, who was also on the flight, did not survive.
The flight included people from all walks of life, including Arjun Patoliya, a father of two young daughters who had traveled to India to scatter his late wife’s ashes. The emotional weight of such personal stories has compounded the national grief.
In London, where some of the victims lived, Harrow Borough Mayor Anjana Patel expressed deep sorrow and solidarity with affected families. “I really hope that those girls will be looked after by all of us,” she said, referring to Patoliya’s orphaned children. “We don’t have any words to describe how the families and friends must be feeling.”
In the midst of the tragedy, stories of narrow escapes have also emerged. Bhoomi Chauhan, a 28-year-old woman who was booked on the same flight, avoided death by mere chance. “The airline staff had already closed the check-in,” she recounted. “That delay saved my life.”
The Indian government has pledged a thorough investigation into the crash, while Air India has come under renewed scrutiny for safety and maintenance protocols. Preliminary findings suggest possible technical failure, but officials are waiting for black box data to determine the exact cause of the accident.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared a day of national mourning and assured families that every effort would be made to uncover the truth and support the victims’ relatives. “This tragedy has shaken the nation. Our thoughts and prayers are with every family that has lost a loved one,” he said.
As mourning continues across India and among diaspora communities abroad, a nation grieves not only for the lives lost, but for the unimaginable sorrow that will linger long after the flames have died down. For many, the funerals are not just a farewell—they are the beginning of a long journey toward healing, justice, and accountability.
Source- punch