India Plane Crash: Hundreds Mourn as Identities Remain Elusive
The devastating crash of Air India 171 has plunged the nation into mourning, as the arduous task of identifying victims intensifies. Families grapple with delayed body handovers and the agonizing wait for closure, highlighting the tragic aftermath of the disaster.
Distress Call and Immediate Aftermath
The last desperate message from the cockpit, a simple “Mayday, mayday,”
preceded the fatal plunge of the Air India flight bound for London. According to Indian aviation authorities, the plane went down moments after taking off from Ahmedabad airport.
Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, the pilot, issued the distress call less than a minute after departure. When air traffic control responded, there was silence; the aircraft then plummeted to the ground. Samir Kumar Sinha, a secretary for India’s aviation ministry, confirmed the lack of response.
The aircraft, a 227-tonne Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed into a hostel near the airport, reaching a height of 650ft before the rapid descent. Initial investigations suggest a swift descent and impact. The crash site, located 2km from Ahmedabad airport, resulted in the deaths of at least 270 people.
The collision with the hostel claimed the lives of medical students, their families, as well as laborers and vendors working in the area. While speculation swirls about the cause, Indian aviation authorities have begun investigating every theory surrounding the crash. The flight data recorder, often called the black box, was recovered and is under examination.
Victims and Delayed Identification
The grim task of identifying the deceased is proving complex due to the condition of the bodies. As a result, returning the remains to the families has become a slow process. Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, the civil aviation minister, stated that decoding the black box would provide an in-depth understanding of what transpired during the crash.
A team of UK aviation accident experts arrived to assist with the investigation. As of Saturday morning, the death toll rose to 279. Families continue to gather at the Civil hospital in Ahmedabad, grappling with the delay of receiving their loved ones.
Anil Patel, who lost his son Harshit and daughter-in-law Pooja, expressed anguish over the lack of information. He said that the bodies were becoming increasingly deteriorated, adding to the grief. The time taken to match DNA samples to the remains has also prolonged the agony.
Rajnish Patel, the additional medical superintendent at the hospital, confirmed that just eleven DNA matches have been made. The official explained the painstaking process of matching samples to the bodies. Only three remains had been handed over to their families, over 72 hours after the crash.
The Syed family, British citizens Javed Ali Syed, his wife Mariam, and their children, Zayn and Amani, were among the victims. Family members shared how the delays have caused additional distress. The task of matching DNA to the bodies is a process of elimination, taking considerable time.
With the complexities of identification, the handover of remains has been very slow, adding to the families’ anguish. The sole survivor, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, is recovering in hospital. The number of air travel fatalities worldwide remains low; 2023 statistics show a rate of 0.11 fatalities per million departures (Statista 2023).
Looking Ahead
The investigation will be completed in three months. While families wait, the painstaking work of identification and repatriation continues. The goal is to give all families closure.
