Kolkata: On June 12, India witnessed a devastating tragedy as an Air India flight scheduled to operate from Ahmedabad to London crashed shortly after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. It had 242 people on board, including 230 passengers and 12 crew members, and out of them, only one person survived. The plane crashed on a hostel with medical students, and the terrible incident has sent the nation into grief and mourning.
For Dr Hasmukh Patel, it is an unhappy trip down memory lane. According to a report by News18, Patel was present at the Civil Hospital mortuary and the scene at the hospital brought back memories of a similar crash that took place 30 years ago. On October 19, 1988, Indian Airlines Flight 113 was a flight operating from Mumbai to Ahmedabad that crashed on its final approach to Ahmedabad Airport. The tragedy killed 133 of the 135 people on board and was the deadliest crash in the Indian aviation sector till then.
He reportedly said, “I was a second-year intern at Civil Hospital when the Ahmedabad plane crash occurred in 1988. The situation in the mortuary then was quite similar. However, today we are using DNA sampling to identify the deceased. The DNA identification process is complex, but we must conduct it meticulously to return the bodies to their families.” Today, he is acting as a volunteer in the same hospital and has been a guide to common people after the tragedy. He has helped government ministers and managed DNA lab operations regarding the accident.
The 1988 crash had just two survivors, CK Patel, a 42-year-old US-based NRI businessman, and Suraj Prasad, an Indian national. The 2025 Air India crash had one survivor, Vishwashkumar Ramesh, a 40‑year‑old British Indian seated in 11A. Reportedly, around 70 tolas of gold, Rs 80,000 in cash, several burnt passports, and a nearly intact copy of the Bhagavad Gita have been recovered from the crash site.
