Tragic Plane Crash in Ahmedabad: Eyewitness Accounts and Casualty Updates
Eyewitness Account of the Crash
On Thursday, Dhruv Gujjar, a 19-year-old undergraduate at BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad, was having lunch in the college mess when he suddenly heard a loud noise. Looking up, he saw parts of the ceiling collapsing and quickly took cover under a table. Moments later, he witnessed fellow students fleeing the building.
Gujjar recounted, "I ran out too. Once outside, we realized a plane had crashed onto the roof."
The incident occurred shortly after Air India flight AI171 took off from Ahmedabad at 1:38 PM, crashing in Meghani Nagar, a densely populated area adjacent to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was en route to London Gatwick, carrying 169 Indian nationals, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian. So far, 204 bodies have been recovered from the crash site.
Details of the Incident
Gujjar, who entered the mess at 1:30 PM with three classmates, noted that several first-year students were seated nearby. The two-story mess hall accommodates over 300 students, and while about 20 to 25 were on the ground floor, the number on the first floor remains uncertain.
Following the crash, a gas cylinder exploded on the first floor, causing the ceiling to collapse and trapping many students inside. Gujjar described seeing the tail of the aircraft protruding from the mess's roof, while the cockpit and front section crashed into a six-story building adjacent to the mess.
This building serves as staff quarters for doctors at the UN Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre, which is affiliated with BJ Medical College. The extent of casualties in that building is still unknown, but Gujjar speculated that the aircraft's fuel tank exploded upon impact, engulfing the entire structure in flames.
Rescue Efforts and Casualty Reports
Gujjar mentioned that some junior students sustained injuries from the ceiling collapse, and he promptly took them to the trauma ward. Krish Dabhoya, a final-year medical student, left the mess just ten minutes before the crash. He expressed concern that had the plane crashed earlier, the casualties would have been significantly higher.
Dabhoya indicated that many students might still be trapped under the debris on the first floor, and efforts were underway to account for those missing. He also reported that five medical students were feared dead, although Dr. Dharmesh Patel, head of the forensic department, declined to confirm the number of fatalities.
In response to the rising number of injured, students at the hospital began lining up to donate blood. Dr. Rohan Krishnan, chief patron of the Federation of All India Medical Association Doctors Association, noted the challenge of identifying the deceased due to severe burn injuries, stating that around 50 medical students were currently hospitalized and blood donations were urgently needed.