Among on-ground victims of Ahmedabad air crash, couple heading home from Aadhaar centre
On June 12, Meghaninagar residents Chetnaba (39) and her husband, 42-year-old Ranbirsinh Chavda, left home to get their Aadhaar card updated at the nearby municipal office.
Soon after, as the news of a plane crashing in the area began flashing in, the first instinct of the couple's family was to call them. As their phones were found switched off, the anxiety grew.
When frantic searches at the Civil hospital in Asarwa and Sola hospital yielded no results, a family member decided to give their sample for DNA testing.
'The next day, we reached the crash site looking for some information. The police deployed there showed us a photo of a half-burnt Aadhaar card which was found at the site. It had Chetnaba's photo and name,' Kiritsinh Chavda, elder brother of Ranbirsinh, told The Indian Express. Soon, the scooter that Chetnaba and Ranjitsinh were travelling in was also found in a charred state.
The family still didn't lose hope. But as DNA test reports came in on Wednesday, their worst fears were confirmed – Chetnaba and Ranjitsinh were among the victims of the air crash.
The couple was cremated at the crematorium in Chamunda.
The family, a native of Varsoda village in Mansa taluka of Gandhinagar district, had been living in Meghaninagar for years. They were parents to a 19-year-old daughter and a son, 8. The daughter got married last year. Ranbirsinh worked at a hotel near the airport and was provided with an electric GPS-enabled two-wheeler by his employer.
It was this feature of the vehicle that helped the family members identify the couple's last location.
'When we enquired with the hotel, the last location of the scooter was found at the crash site. The last location of the mobile phone was also the same. But still, we were hopeful that they were alive and lying injured at some hospital. But later, we found the partially burnt green number plate and a completely charred scooter from the site,' said Kiritsinh.
On Wednesday, along with their mortal remains, the jewellery of the couple was returned to the family.
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