“A City in Mourning”: Funeral Rites Begin as Grieving Families Receive Victims of Air India Crash
AHMEDABAD — Grieving families in India began holding funeral ceremonies on Sunday for loved ones lost in one of the world’s deadliest aviation disasters in decades, as the death toll from Thursday’s Air India crash reached at least 279.
Health officials have started releasing the first identified victims to relatives in Ahmedabad, where rows of white coffins, delivered with solemn care, marked the beginning of a heartbreaking chapter.
“My heart is very heavy,” said Tushar Leuva, an NGO worker assisting with the recovery. “How do we give the bodies to the families? How will they react when they open the gate? But we’ll have to do it.”
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, en route to London’s Gatwick Airport with 242 people on board, crashed shortly after takeoff, erupting into flames and slamming into a residential area used by medical staff. At least 38 people on the ground were also killed. Only one person — British citizen Vishwash Kumar Ramesh — survived the crash. His brother, tragically, was also on the flight.
Witnesses described the wreckage as apocalyptic, with charred remains and scattered debris. Families have been urged not to open the coffins due to the condition of the bodies.
Authorities are relying on DNA testing to identify the victims. As of Sunday morning, only 31 individuals had been confirmed. “This is a meticulous and slow process, so it has to be done meticulously only,” said Dr. Rajnish Patel of Ahmedabad’s civil hospital.
Among the victims was Arjun Patoliya, a father of two who had flown to India to scatter his late wife’s ashes. “I really hope those girls will be looked after by all of us,” said Anjana Patel, the mayor of London’s Harrow borough, home to several victims.
As communities mourned, one woman shared her miraculous escape. “We missed the flight because we arrived late,” said Bhoomi Chauhan, 28. “At that moment, I kept thinking that if only we had left a little earlier…”
The cause of the crash remains under investigation. India’s aviation minister, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, said decoding the recovered black box would provide “an in-depth insight” into the tragedy. Inspections of other Air India Dreamliners have been ordered.
Air India confirmed there were 169 Indian nationals, 53 British, seven Portuguese, one Canadian, and 12 crew members on board.
As the city buries its dead, the grief remains raw, and the questions unanswered.