
First, I heard there was an accident on campus, then saw visuals on WA
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I was on duty at the Trauma Centre at Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad, when I heard an accident had taken place on the campus. Later, I learnt about the plane crash from the PGT doctors' WhatsApp group.
I understood how catastrophic it was when my colleagues started sharing disturbing visuals of the crash. We are told to assemble in the triage area and to be prepared for a medical emergency. We gathered immediately and instructed nurses to be ready for a rush of patients. More nurses were called in. The first injured to be wheeled into the triage area was the security guard of the hostel, on which the plane crashed. He had severe burns.
In the next 30 minutes, the Trauma Centre was flooded with more than 50 patients — most of them with fractures and burn injuries. It was a horrific experience. The nightmare will haunt us for the rest of our lives.
(Saha is a third-year emergency medicine PGT doctor at Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad )
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Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
'A husband who hasn't cried, an elderly who won't go home': Grief deepens 11 days after tragedy; reactions from victims' kin worry counsellors
AHMEDABAD: Eleven days after AI 171 crashed into the BJ Medical College hostel in Meghaninagar, families of the victims continue to struggle with processing their overwhelming grief, with many displaying unexpected reactions to trauma that have left counsellors concerned. Among the most heartbreaking cases is that of a 27-year-old man who lost his wife in the crash and has been unable to cry even once. The couple married in 2024, their future stretching ahead like an open road filled with possibilities. He flew ahead of her to set up their new home in London while her papers were being processed. "I should have been with her," the guilt-ridden widower has been telling himself repeatedly, too traumatised to come to terms with the loss. During their last conversation, she told him repeatedly not to get delayed and keep her waiting at London Gatwick airport. "So, when he received the news of the crash, he took the first available flight and reached the city, rebuking himself for getting late," said a Civil Hospital counsellor who has been speaking to the family in their time of grief. "He visited the campus for three days to complete the procedures and take home her mortal remains for the last rites. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like configura tu Symbioz full hybrid E-Tech RENAULT Configurar Tu Coche Undo He did not cry, could not cry rather, even once." Considering the nature of the incident, Civil Hospital authorities have appointed counsellors – primarily experienced psychiatrists – to help families cope with the deaths of multiple family members. Dr Urvika Parekh, one of the counsellors, described her most difficult moments in the past 11 days: breaking news of death to a seven-year-old girl. "She came to give DNA sample for identification of the mortal remains. The family could not break the news to her," she said. "Some families have lost multiple family members. The void is hard to fill." The counsellors have encountered several instances where families have been unable to return to their normal lives. A senior citizen, who lost four family members in the crash, has not gone back home. "The emptiness of the house is overwhelming for him, so he has been staying with a close relative for the time being. The same is true for several families as they have just held the last rites of their dear ones and are now finding it difficult to envision life without them," said the counsellor. Dr Parekh explains that there are seven stages of grief – shock and denial, pain and guilt, anger and bargaining, depression, the upward turn, reconstruction, and acceptance and hope. "The nature of the reaction of the relatives has changed over the past 11 days. Earlier, they had some hope that their loved ones may have escaped the crash. But then news came in that there was only one survivor. The next stage is disbelief and denial. We had to deter several grieving parents from seeing their children one last time due to the condition of the mortal remains," she said. Dr Disha Vasavada, another psychiatrist and counsellor, noted the particular difficulty of losing children. "It is tougher to cope with the death of a child than the death of a parent, and one can only imagine the pain of the senior citizens who have lost their children in the crash. In several instances, it may take days or even weeks to process the trauma and grieve for the departed relative," she said. The team will stay in touch with the families, who also have been given the numbers of the counsellors. "In several instances, the relatives gained their composure but could not hold themselves back once the coffins were handed over to them," said Dr Vasavada. "The initial few days of the incident were spent arranging logistics, but when the loss hits hard, handholding is necessary." The psychiatrists draw parallels with early Covid deaths, where the relatives were not allowed to see the deceased "one last time". Not seeing the departed often caused dissonance for the close relatives in search of closure, they add. Dr Rakesh Joshi, medical superintendent of Civil Hospital, said that a team of 10 dedicated counsellors was deployed from day one to assist relatives in going through procedures ranging from providing DNA samples to victim identification to handing over the mortal remains. "The counsellors are stationed at the hospital round the clock. They will be there till all the bodies are handed over," he said.


Indian Express
13 hours ago
- Indian Express
Air India crash: 251 DNA samples match, 245 bodies handed over to kin
Almost 10 days after the London-bound Air India flight with 242 persons on board plunged into a medical hostel complex in Meghaninagar moments after taking off from Ahmedabad airport on June 12, the DNA samples of 251 victims have been matched. Further, a total of 245 bodies have been handed over to the families as of Sunday evening while six families will receive the bodies shortly, said Dr Rakesh Joshi, Medical Superintendent of Ahmedabad Civil Hospital. In a video statement on Sunday evening, Dr Joshi said that the 245 victims whose bodies had been handed over included 176 Indian citizens, seven Portuguese, 49 British citizens, one Canadian and 12 on-ground persons. Since the process of matching the DNA samples is very sensitive and legal matters are also involved, this process is being completed very seriously and as fast as possible, said Dr Joshi. National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) and forensic science laboratory (FSL) among other institutions are associated with the process. Additionally, personnel from the local administration, state Health Department and other agencies are also helping in the process. Of the 245 bodies handed over to families, 195 belong to 22 districts in Gujarat, including 24 from Vadodara, 12 from Kheda, Ahmedabad 70, Mehsana 7, Botad 1, Aravalli 3, Anand 28, Bharuch 7, Surat 12, Banaskantha 3, Gandhinagar 7, Junagadh 1, Amreli 2, Gir Somnath 5, Mahisagar 1, Bhavnagar 1, Rajkot 3, Jamnagar 2, Patan 3, Dwarka 2, and Sabarkantha 1. Further, 40 bodies were transported to other states and UTs, including Rajasthan 10, Maharashtra 13, Diu 14, Nagaland 1, Manipur 1, and Bihar 1. The mortal remains of 10 victims were sent to London by international flights, said officials.


Mint
19 hours ago
- Mint
IND vs ENG: Why India, England players wearing black armbands on Day 3 of first Test? It's not due to Ahmedabad crash
The Indian and England cricketers are sporting black armbands and also observed a minute's silence on Day 3 of the ongoing first Test in Leeds in the memory of David Lawrence who passed away at the age of 61, a year after he diagnosed with motor neurone disease. Lawrence was also awarded an MBE a week before in the King's birthday honours for his services to cricket. This is the second time in the ongoing Test match that both the team's players are wearing black armbands. Earlier on Day 1, the players observed a minute's silence to pay homage to the 241 lives lost in the tragic Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad just two minutes into takeoff. 'Both teams are wearing black armbands to pay their respects to former England Cricketer, David 'Syd' Lawrence, who has sadly passed away. There was a moment's applause before start of play on Day 3,' the BCCI posted on X on Sunday, soon after the play began. Lawrence was a former England and Gloucestershire pacer who played for the national team in between 1988 to 1992 in just five Tests, taking 18 wickets. He was also the first British-born black cricketer to be picked for the England national team. However, his England career ended in a tragic incident after he fractured his left kneecap while playing in a Test match against New Zealand. For the next five years, Lawrence didn't play the game. Although he managed to play four more first-class games, but eventually was forced to retire at the age of 29. Overall, Lawrence played 280 games for Gloucestershire and took 625 wickets. In 2022, Lawrence was named the club president, which he served until his death.