Ahmedabad: A teenage boy was killed in Ahmedabad’s unfortunate plane crash on Thursday afternoon. But here is the twist, the 15-year-old was neither on the ill-fated flight, nor in the medical college hostel mess, the plane rammed into. The boy was reportedly sleeping under a tree which is near the hostel of the BJ Medical College that the plane hit. The boy’s family owns a tea stall near the college.
Authorities confirm boy’s death, toll rises
According to estimates, at least 260 to 270 people were killed following the plane crash. This included the number of people killed outside the plane, in the hostel and around the vicinity of the mess, which the plane hit.
The boy who reportedly died in his sleep has been identified as Akash Patani. His death confirms the fact that besides the hostel mess, the plane also led to deaths of people around the vicinity of the medical college. These deaths were in addition to the 241 people who died on the plane.
Hindustan Times quoted Patani’s elder brother, Kalpesh Patni as saying, “We have had the tea cart for the last 30 years. At the time of the incident, it was business as usual for my mother and brother. I received a call at 1.30pm informing about the incident.”
Another relative of the boy said that Akash and his mother Sita were at the tea cart when the plane hit the hostel building. On hearing the loud sound Sita ran, but she did not realise that Akash was still under the tree, asleep, she said. Kalpesh claimed that his mother escaped the fireball with injuries, but his brother Akash perished.
Sita is admitted to the Civil Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit.
Authorities struggle to count dead
Meanwhile the authorities in Ahmedabad continued to struggle to count the dead. Reports claimed that bodies have piled up in mortuaries and DNA testing is being carried out, to identify the victims.
In a fresh statement, the state government said that the bodies of 8 people, which includes 4 medical students from BJ Medical College, 2 of their relatives and 2 other people had been identified and handed over to their families. The statement did not give out names of the deceased, but said that some were “from nearby residential areas”.
Apart from doctors, at least 6 to 7 staff members of the hostel/mess are missing. Apart from that at least 3 people are missing from the nearby slum areas. Reports claimed that of the staff members missing post the crash, 2 are dead.
The report in quoted a mess worker at the BJ Medical College as saying, “At the time of the crash, my mother Sarla and daughter Aadya were in the mess. It has been 24 hours but I have not got any clue about what has happened to them.”
Statement from Air India
Air India confirmed in a statement that 241 people onboard flight AI-171 perished in the crash on Thursday. There was just one survivor, who is admitted to the hospital and is undergoing treatment.
While estimates say that 250 people are dead, the number may go up. The government has not released any official death figures so far. At least 10 people have been missing since the crash.
The Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed into a building, just 30 seconds after take off from Ahmedabad airport. The plane was bound for London. This is the worst air tragedy in India in the recent past.
