8-month-old son of doctor youngest AI 171 victim
Ahmedabad: In the avalanche of death and doom triggered by the Air India 171 plane crash, an eight-month-old baby is battling it out in the ICU of a private hospital after he was heroically saved by his mother, who literally ran on fire.
The mother and son were enjoying a quiet afternoon moment when a ball of fire erupted in the second-floor flat as the plane struck their side of the building of the Atulyam residential quarters for super-speciality resident doctors of BJ Medical College.
Dhyaansh is the first-born to a young couple. Dr Kapil is pursuing his super-speciality MCh studies in urology, while Dr Manisha is a homeopathy doctor practising alternative medicine.
The father was on duty in the urology department of Civil Hospital, and the mum, who has not taken up a job to raise the child, was bonding with the baby at home.
Dhyaansh, the youngest to get injured in the AI crash, sustained burns on his face, arms, and legs. "My son sustained nearly 25% burns despite being ensconced in the safety of his mother's embrace. Manisha literally ran over the fire that spread across the flat and building to escape to the ground floor and ended up with 25% burns, with the soles of her feet burnt badly.
She also got burnt on the face and limbs," Dr Kapil told TOI from KD Hospital, where his son and wife are admitted.
The hospital is treating plane crash injury victims.
Dr Kapil said that his family came down from Junagadh to support them in their hour of need. "Manisha is recovering well and has been shifted to the room. She has started taking some meals also. Dhyaansh, however, is still admitted in the ICU, and attending doctors say that his condition is stable.
We are hoping and praying that he is moved out of ICU soon and both mother and child are hale and hearty soon," Dr Kapil said.
Dr Shrenik Shah, head of the urology department in Civil Hospital, said three of his MCh resident doctors suffered emotional setbacks due to the plane crash as they lost their homes and underwent tense moments seeing their families trapped in the fire. "Kapil's wife and child are admitted, while another MCh resident's wife had to be rescued, and another wife, mother, and child were rescued," Dr Shah said.
The department has begun a funding drive with 200-odd alumni to raise funds to help these doctors buy basic amenities to help rehabilitate their families in the aftermath of this tragedy, Dr Shah said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
ICU bed capacity increased at Alappuzha MCH
The number of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds at the Government Medical College Hospital (MCH), Alappuzha, has been increased. As part of the expansion of the Multidisciplinary Intensive Care Unit (MDICU) at the hospital, 10 beds have been added in the Medicine department at a cost of ₹12 lakh. The MDICU earlier had 16 beds in the Surgery unit and nine in the Step-down unit. With the addition of 10 more beds in the Medicine ICU, the number of ICU beds in these sections has increased to 35. Another two beds are available in the Isolation unit, taking the total number of ICU beds in the MDICU to 37. When the beds in the room that previously functioned as Ward 8 were shifted to the Super Speciality Block, the resulting vacant space was used to set up a new Emergency ICU with nine beds. The Trauma ICU also has nine beds. With this, apart from the ICU in the Super Speciality Block, there are now 55 ICU beds in the old building complex. H. Salam, MLA, said that the increase in ICU beds would make it possible to provide emergency care to more critically ill patients and, to some extent, reduce the need to transfer such patients to other hospitals. Mr. Salam had earlier written to Health Minister Veena George requesting an increase in the number of ICU beds at the hospital. The MLA inaugurated the renovated Medicine ICU on Thursday. Government Medical College, Alappuzha, Principal B. Padmakumar; MCH superintendent A. Harikumar; Medicine department head Suresh Raghavan; MDICU nodal officer N. R. Sajikumar; chief nursing officer P.K. Usha; nursing superintendents S. Mini, M. Nalini, G. Jalajamma, E.G. Sheeba and others attended.
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
Ahmedabad plane crash: How ‘beloved' airline's flight cut short ex-Air India loader's life; GISF jawan posted at hostel died of 33% burns
By Aishwarya Patel AHMEDABAD: After Rajendra Patankar's long and dedicated service to Air India (AI), it was Flight 171 from his beloved airline that wrote his final chapter. The 63-year-old former Air India cargo loader was merely 20 minutes away from completing his morning shift as a Gujarat Industrial Security Force (GISF) jawan at Atulyam-4, when destiny dealt its cruel hand. Caught in the searing impact of the AI plane crash, he ran out of the building, partially burned. The miracle that got Rajendra out alive ended Wednesday evening when he succumbed to his injuries at Civil Hospital. Rushed to the hospital with 33% burns across his face, forearms, and hands, Patankar remained conscious through most of the six days, even walking and speaking with his family. His son Vishal, 37, who works with AI's security unit, was mobilised to help with rescue operations, and only learnt of his father's condition later. "My father said he recognised the sound of aircraft engines just before the blast. Look at the irony of fate. He loved Air India. It gave him a life. None of us had imagined it would also take it away," said Vishal. Vishal, his younger brother Ankit, 35, and their mother Meena, 61, found Rajendra alert at the hospital. "He talked, joked, recognised his colleagues, and even some of the doctors whom he knew from his three years at BJ Medical College and Atulyam." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 3.5, 4.5 BHK Homes starting at ₹4.89 Cr.* Hero Homes Learn More Undo By the fourth day, Rajendra grew anxious. "With so many doctors visiting him, he began thinking something was wrong," Vishal said. The anxiety spiked during a dressing replacement for his deep tissue burns, which amplified the pain. The next day, he lost consciousness and was placed on ventilator as his heart struggled to maintain the required oxygen level in his blood. His body gave up the fight the following evening. Doctors attempted CPR six times, but failed to resuscitate him. On Thursday, GISF personnel gathered in large numbers. Rajendra was given a salute of honour at the BJMC campus, said senior GISF inspector Girish M Thakur. His body was escorted in a police-protected convoy that passed through Meghaninagar, before reaching the crematorium in the Ashok Mill area. A man who worked most of his life around aeroplanes, was laid to rest in the shadow of one.
The Hindu
7 hours ago
- The Hindu
Ahmedabad plane crash: 220 victims identified, 202 bodies handed over to kin
Over a week after 270 people were killed in the Ahmedabad plane crash, 220 victims have been identified through DNA tests, and the mortal remains of 202 of them were handed over to their families, a Gujarat Minister said on Friday (June 20, 2025). A London-bound Air India flight AI-171 carrying 242 passengers and crew members crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12. All but one on board the plane died along with nearly 29 on the ground when the aircraft smashed into a medical complex in Meghaninagar area of the city shortly after its take-off. Authorities are carrying out DNA matching to establish the identity of the victims, as several bodies were charred beyond recognition or damaged. 'So far, 220 DNA samples have been matched, and relatives of these victims were contacted. The mortal remains of 202 victims have already been handed over to their kin. The process to identify more victims is underway,' said Rushikesh Patel, the Health Minister and the Gujarat government's spokesperson. These 202 individuals include 160 Indians, of whom 151 were passengers, seven Portuguese nationals, 34 British nationals and one Canadian, said Patel X. While the mortal remains of 15 victims were sent to their respective destinations by air, 187 were transported by road, the Minister added. The State government had earlier said that samples of 250 victims, including persons on board the ill-fated flight as well as those killed on the ground, were collected for identification.
