In the aftermath of one of India’s deadliest air disasters, a grieving father, Ravi Thakor, is holding onto hope amidst despair. The tragic crash of a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner in Ahmedabad has claimed the lives of at least 271 people, including passengers, crew, and individuals on the ground.
Thakor, a cook at a college hostel canteen, had just stepped out with his wife to deliver lunchboxes—leaving behind his two-year-old daughter and his elderly mother in the building. Minutes later, the aircraft slammed into the hostel, engulfing the area in flames.
“We thought it was a gas explosion,” Thakor told Reuters, “but when I turned around, the building was burning. My heart sank.”
Both his mother and daughter remain missing. Authorities have classified the case as a missing persons investigation, though hopes of survival are slim.
The couple, now anxiously visiting hospitals and morgues across the city, are praying for what Thakor calls a “second miracle.” The first? The survival of Viswashkumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old passenger who crawled out of the wreckage with only minor injuries—becoming the sole survivor among the 242 onboard.
“If one person could survive that crash, maybe my daughter and mother found a way too,” Thakor said.
The devastation was so extensive that DNA profiling is being used to identify the deceased. Thakor and his wife have submitted DNA samples, but results have yet to confirm any matches.
According to Rajnish Patel, Additional Superintendent of the hospital handling victims, only 32 identifications have been completed so far.
The crash occurred while students were eating lunch in the canteen. When Reuters visited the site, steel plates and tumblers still filled with food lay on broken tables—haunting remnants of the moment tragedy struck.
Thakor, recounting his last moments at the hostel, said, “My mother was cooking. I had just rocked my baby to sleep. It’s possible someone carried her off in the chaos. We haven’t given up.”
The incident, combined with growing tensions in the Middle East, triggered global concern. U.S. stock markets fell sharply on Friday—Dow down 1.8%, S&P 500 by 1%, and Nasdaq by 1.3%—amid fears of regional instability and disrupted airline operations.
Source: Reuters