Grief-stricken families in India began holding funerals on Sunday for victims of the Air India Flight 171 tragedy, which claimed the lives of at least 279 people in one of the deadliest aviation disasters in recent decades.
According to the AFP, the ill-fated Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, en route to London, crashed into a residential area near Ahmedabad shortly after takeoff on Thursday, June 12, bursting into flames and destroying several buildings. Among the dead were 242 passengers and crew, as well as 38 people on the ground. Only one passenger survived.
Health officials in Ahmedabad have begun the difficult task of handing over the remains of victims identified through DNA testing. White coffins were seen arriving at funeral grounds in the western city.
“My heart is heavy. How do we return these bodies to their families?” said Tushar Leuva, a humanitarian worker supporting the recovery effort. “When we knock on their doors, what will we say? But we must do it.”
At the mortuary, families waited anxiously. Some were told not to open the coffins due to the condition of the bodies, many of which were badly burned.
One relative, speaking anonymously, described the moment as “too painful to put into words,” adding, “We just want to take them home and pray for peace.”
Medical authorities say 31 bodies had been positively identified by Sunday morning. Dr. Rajnish Patel of the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital emphasized the sensitivity of the process: “This requires extreme caution and precision. We’re taking all necessary steps to ensure accurate identifications.”
Most of those injured on the ground have now been discharged from hospitals, though a few remain in critical care.
Officials have yet to determine the cause of the crash. Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said on Saturday that the black box had been recovered and was undergoing analysis. “We expect the flight data recorder to offer crucial insights into what caused this tragedy,” he stated.
The victims included 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, seven Portuguese, one Canadian, and 12 crew members.
Among the passengers was Arjun Patoliya, a father of two girls who had returned to India to scatter his late wife’s ashes. His death has drawn sympathy from across the globe. “Those girls will need all of us now,” said Anjana Patel, mayor of London’s Harrow borough, where some victims lived. “There are no words to express this pain.”
In a twist of fate, 28-year-old Bhoomi Chauhan narrowly escaped death after arriving late at the airport. “The check-in counter had just closed,” she told reporters. “At that moment, I was frustrated. Now I know that delay saved my life.”
Indian aviation authorities have grounded similar Air India aircraft for inspection as investigations continue.
The nation remains in mourning, with candlelight vigils held in several cities and religious communities offering prayers for the dead.