Families of the Air India falling victims emit DNA samples for identification
Families of the Air India falling victims emit DNA samples for identification
Ahmedabad, India - yesterday at Ahmedabad Airport, Sangeta Gauswami kept her only son hugged her heart, her heart was proud when she said goodbye. The 19-year-old started his trip to study at a university in London and start a new chapter of his life. But now, less than 24 hours later, she is sitting in the same clothing that she wore for the farewell, in shock and grief-her world was done by a Airplane crash shaken.
The tragic crash
her son Sanket was one of the 242 passengers on board the Air India flight AI171, who fell from the sky just a few seconds after the start-and only a survivor remained, while hundreds of families remained in mourning. On Friday, three officials from the Indian National Disaster Protection Authority announced that a flight writer of the victim was found. This could be a crucial step to provide the families concerned important information on why the plane has crashed.
The sad effects
The Boeing Dreamliner fell into a hostel of the medical faculty and killed passengers, crew members and people on the ground. The number of fatalities amounts to at least 290 - one of the deadliest aircraft stags in India for decades.
for hours, Gauswami clung to the weakest beam of hope that Sanket Somehow had survived. But on Thursday evening the hope of the heartbreaking reality gave way: she offered her DNA to identify her only son among the dead. "We have no news," she stammered with tears while sitting with her also crying sister. “We are constantly asking, but nobody can tell us something.”
the painful identification
DNA samples were taken from more than 190 relatives in the Ahmedabad civil hospital and are compared with the recovered corpses from the scene of the accident. A painful process that could take up to 72 hours according to the responsible official Harshit Gosavi.
grief fulfills the hospital corridors while the families fight with the loss of their loved ones. In a corner, the screams of an older woman break through the quiet crying of others. The pain on Friday is in a strong contrast to the chaotic atmosphere of the previous day when the relatives hastily hurried to the hospital in the hope of finding their loved ones alive.
grieving relatives
The family of Manisha Thapa is destroyed after her home in the eastern city of Patna with the first flight you could find to the scene of the accident. Manisha was a member of the cabin crew on the plane. "I had spoken to her a day ago," says her mother in a trembling voice and wipes with a handkerchief that her daughter's girlfriend is enough for her. "We talk every day. She called me to tell me that we couldn't talk because she was on a long flight." Her father has been crying since he made his DNA sample on Friday morning.
a survivor in focus
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Ahmedabad on Friday, inspected the scene of the accident and met the only survivor, the British citizen Vishwash Kumar Ramesh. Ramesh's story is celebrated as nothing less than a miracle. Videos that show how he hurt and helps with a bloody shirt to support the victims of the crash while he is in the hospital with some cuts and bruises, spread quickly on social media.
"At first I thought I would die ... I realized that I was still alive and saw an opening near my seat. I managed to solve my seat belt. I used my leg to push through the opening and crawl," he told the Indian State Radio DD News. "Everyone around me was either dead or died. I still don't understand how I survived."
The investigation into the accident
While the authorities' focus is initially on confirming the number of victims and offering support to the families concerned, the cause of causes will soon be the focus. The US National Transportation Safety Board announced that it will send a team to India to support the local investigation. The British Air Accidental Investigation Authority also officially offered Indian authorities after the accident.