Latest news with #RaviThakor
News18
8 hours ago
- General
- News18
Tiffin Seller's Lunch Delivery Saves 80 Doctors From Ahmedabad Plane Crash; Loses Mother, Daughter
Last Updated: On June 12, Ravi Thakor, his wife, father, and a relative left the mess at 1 pm to deliver tiffin. Their daughter Aadhya stayed behind due to the heat For over 15 years, Ravi Thakor and his family have quietly served meals to doctors at Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad's Asarwa. But June 12 brought a heartbreaking turn for the family—Thakor's mother and two-year-old daughter were among the victims of the Air India flight crash. In a tragic twist of fate, Thakor's simple act of kindness that day—insisting on delivering lunch to the hospital instead of having doctors come to the mess—ended up saving the lives of nearly 80 medical staff, moments before the crash occurred at 1:40 pm. Thakor's family has long been committed to preparing and serving food at the BJ Medical College hostel mess. On June 12, Ravi Thakor, his wife Lalita, his father Prahlad Thakor, and a relative departed the mess at 1 pm to deliver tiffin. Their two-year-old daughter, Aadhya, wished to accompany them, but they left her behind, concerned about the heat. Thakor's mother, Sarla Thakor, stayed back to cook at the mess. Thakor recounted the events with a heavy heart, 'She was crying and insisted on coming with us. So, when she finally calmed down, we quietly slipped out." 'It was our daily routine to fill the tiffin, deliver the food, wash the utensils, and prepare for the next day. But we couldn't take Aadhya along, especially with the heavy tiffin in the heat," Thakor added. However, everything changed at 1:40 pm when a massive explosion occurred, and Air India Flight 171 crashed into the mess building. Thakor said, 'They were busy with their daily work. But at 1:40 pm, everything changed. Suddenly, there was a huge explosion—flames and black smoke started rising. The flight had hit the mess building, the same place where I had left my mother and daughter. We rushed to the spot, but the police and others stopped us. Some doctors pointed out what might have happened." Hints from doctors suggested the grim reality. For two days, Ravi Thakor and Lalita clung to hope, praying that Sarla and Aadhya were missing, not dead. Their worst fears were confirmed on Thursday morning when the DNA report revealed that both had perished. 'We performed their last rites on Thursday. Our lives once revolved around serving food—now, all that remains is silence," Thakor said. The accident left an unbearable void for Thakor's family. The tiffin service that had been their means of helping others turned into the cause of their own tragedy. The police and administration are investigating the incident, and the family has been promised support. On June 12, Air India flight AI-171, en route to London with 242 people on board, crashed in Ahmedabad. The aircraft collided with a medical complex in the Meghaninagar area shortly after takeoff, resulting in the deaths of all passengers and crew except one, along with 29 individuals on the ground. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from politics to crime and society. Stay informed with the latest India news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! First Published: June 20, 2025, 17:52 IST
Khaleej Times
a day ago
- General
- Khaleej Times
Indian canteen worker's hopes dashed, no second miracle in air crash
Ravi Thakor had been hoping his mother and two-year old daughter had escaped just before an Air India jet crashed into the building they were in. A week after one of the world's worst aviation disasters killed more than 270 people in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, Thakor's hopes were dashed when doctors matched his DNA on Wednesday with the remains of his mother Sarla and daughter Aadhya. A canteen worker in a college hostel, Thakor and other family members had left the hostel around 30 minutes before Air India's Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft crashed into the building. Sarla had stayed back, cooking and looking after Aadhya, who was asleep. Thakor and his wife Lalita searched for them in hospitals and the morgue after the crash. After not finding them for days, they said they were hoping for a "second miracle", referring to the lone passenger aboard the plane who survived the disaster. On Thursday, the dead bodies were handed over to Thakor's family for the final rites. "We are going to cremate my mother and daughter. It is very difficult for me to say anything right now, but at least we know what happened to them," Thakor said, struggling to speak. At least 211 DNA samples had been matched, and 189 dead bodies handed over to families, Rakesh Joshi, the medical superintendent at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital told reporters on Thursday.
Reuters
a day ago
- General
- Reuters
Indian canteen worker's hopes dashed, no second miracle in air crash
AHMEDABAD, India, June 19 (Reuters) - Ravi Thakor had been hoping his mother and two-year old daughter had escaped just before an Air India jet crashed into the building they were in. A week after one of the world's worst aviation disasters killed more than 270 people in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, Thakor's hopes were dashed when doctors matched his DNA on Wednesday with the remains of his mother Sarla and daughter Aadhya. A canteen worker in a college hostel, Thakor and other family members had left the hostel around 30 minutes before Air India's Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft crashed into the building. Sarla had stayed back, cooking and looking after Aadhya, who was asleep. Thakor and his wife Lalita searched for them in hospitals and the morgue after the crash. After not finding them for days, they said they were hoping for a "second miracle", referring to the lone passenger aboard the plane who survived the disaster. On Thursday, the dead bodies were handed over to Thakor's family for the final rites. "We are going to cremate my mother and daughter. It is very difficult for me to say anything right now, but at least we know what happened to them," Thakor said, struggling to speak. At least 211 DNA samples had been matched, and 189 dead bodies handed over to families, Rakesh Joshi, the medical superintendent at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital told reporters on Thursday. The dead included 241 people on board the plane and at least 30 on the ground.
Observer
2 days ago
- General
- Observer
What you need to know about the Air India Boeing Dreamliner crash
The crash of an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad city, killing all but one of the 242 people on board, is the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. At least 30 people were also killed on the ground as the airliner crashed into a medical college hostel near the airport. The crash poses a fresh challenge for Air India, which has long sought to become a "world-class airline", and Boeing, which is working to restore public trust after a series of safety and production crises. The descent of the plane starts roughly 17 seconds after takeoff. There is no fire visible around the engine or elsewhere when the plane appears to start going down. There were 169 Indians, 53 Britons, 7 Portuguese, and one Canadian among the passengers on board. Twelve crew members were also on the plane. The only survivor was Viswashkumar Ramesh, 40, who was in seat 11A, near the emergency exit. Dozens of anxious family members are waiting to collect bodies of loved ones as doctors work to gather dental samples and do DNA profiling to identify bodies badly charred. EARLY INVESTIGATION Air India and the Indian government are looking at issues linked to engine thrust, flaps, and why the landing gear remained open. The black boxes, crucial to the crash probe, have been recovered. India's aviation safety watchdog has asked Air India for the training records of the pilots and dispatchers, while asking flying schools to conduct training compliance checks. Officials from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and U.S. Federal Aviation Administration officials, as well as Boeing and GE, have surveyed the crash site. An inspection of Air India's 787 fleet did not reveal any major issues, but the Indian aviation watchdog raised concerns about recent maintenance-related issues reported by the airline and advised the carrier to "strictly adhere to regulations". TRAGIC TALES The plane hit a college hostel building. When Reuters visited, some steel tumblers and plates containing food lay on the few tables that were left intact. Wheels and other parts of the aircraft were embedded in the walls. Ravi Thakor, a cook at the college hostel, and his wife have been praying for a 'second miracle' - just like the survival of the sole passenger - as he searches for his two-year-old daughter, whom he had rocked to sleep before stepping out 30 minutes before the crash to deliver lunch boxes. Lawrence Christian, a 30-year-old working in Britain, had flown to India to bury his father, but just two weeks later, his family will have to bury him. His grandmother grieved the loss of "light of our home." INSIDE AIR INDIA Boeing Commercial Airplanes' head Stephanie Pope visited India and met Air India Chair N. Chandrasekaran at the airline's headquarters. Chandrasekaran also held a town hall meeting with 700 staff saying the Tata Group-owned airline should use the crash as a catalyst to build a safer airline. In another incident, an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner plane bound for New Delhi returned to its origin of Hong Kong after takeoff on June 16 following a technical issue.
Free Malaysia Today
5 days ago
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
In Air India crash, canteen worker hopes for ‘second miracle'
DNA samples of only 32 deceased have been matched so far. (AFP pic) AHMEDABAD : Around 30 minutes before an Air India jet crashed into a college hostel in India, Ravi Thakor, the cook in the hostel canteen, and his wife stepped out to deliver lunchboxes – leaving behind their two-year-old daughter and his mother. The grandmother and child are missing. Thakor is hoping for what he calls a 'second miracle', one like the astonishing survival of the sole passenger among the 242 people on board the plane. Thakor said he first thought the loud bang he heard when the plane crashed on Thursday in the western city of Ahmedabad was a gas cylinder blast, but soon noticed the building he had just left was engulfed in flames. For days, he's been searching for his mother and his daughter at hospitals and the morgue to no avail. Police told Reuters they were treating it as a missing persons case. 'If one of the plane passengers could survive the crash, there could be a second miracle and my mother and daughter could also be safe,' a visibly distraught Thakor told Reuters outside one of the hospitals. His wife Lalita stood beside him, stone-faced. 'We realise that the chances of finding them alive are bleak but we have not given up hope,' Thakor said. In all, at least 271 people died in the crash – the 241 passengers and crew in the plane, and the rest people on the ground, mostly in the hostel building. Thakor and his wife have given samples of their DNA to hospital authorities but they are yet to hear if any matches have been found among the deceased. Families of victims have been waiting to take possession of their loved ones' remains for days as DNA profiling and other identification checks are taking time. The hospital's additional superintendent, Rajnish Patel, said today DNA samples of only 32 deceased have been matched so far. When the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner jet struck the hostel canteen on Thursday, many students were eating lunch. Steel tumblers and plates still containing food lay on the few tables that were left intact when Reuters visited the site later. Thakor's mother was still cooking when he and his wife left the hostel that day to deliver lunchboxes and he had just rocked his daugher to sleep on a wooden swing, he said. 'It is possible someone took away my daughter in the chaos that followed,' he said. Of the 242 on board the plane, the only passenger who managed to survive was Viswashkumar Ramesh, 40, who squeezed through the broken hatch after the plane crashed and emerged with only minor injuries.
