The next day the whole matter was transferred from Ahmedabad Airport to a nearby Civil Hospital in Meghaninagar. All the bodies extracted from the damaged debris of the aircraft were brought to the post -mortem house of the civil hospital. A DNA sample connection unit was also installed inside the premises. Families of the victims started coming to the campus since morning. Samples were sent for DNA identification. Officials told the people that the results would take 72 hours. The mother, father, sister, brother, husband, wife of those killed in the accident had no option but to wait.
Most of the people came from different cities and towns of Gujarat; Some came from other states like Rajasthan. Of course, arrangements have been made for their stay but some families did not want to go away because they did not want to miss any information. So he thought it right to stay there.
Everyone was engaged in work in the DNA sample room and post mortem unit. Doctors and employees were working without any break. But the process was taking a long time and the families were getting restless.
Junaid was sitting on a bench in front of the post mortem room. The bodies were being brought from the ambulance and the samples were being taken from here to there. Junaid was with his uncle. His uncle’s brother and one and a half year old daughter were in that unfortunate flight. Brother used to work in London. He was returning to his mother with his daughter. It was already announced that no one is alive, but the mother still expects a miracle.
Mourning outside the hospital
Junaid said, “We have told them the truth, but they are not ready to accept them. We will be able to trust only the dead body. This wait is very long and painful. Our mind is being extinguished. It is not easy to wait every day and wait every day. We have already given our DNA samples. Our appeal is to hand over the body quickly, so that we can mourn. ”
Champa and other women are sitting under the tree. This group of people was sitting away from every information and media. The heat and humidity in the afternoon were unbearable. Champa and his family run a tea shop next to the accident site. When the unfortunate afternoon the plane collided with the adjacent buildings, his simple life turned into a shock.
In the video of that day, people are seen running away from the fireball. Champa lost his younger nephew in the accident. Her mother was burnt 50 per cent and has been admitted to the hospital. The father is unhappy. Families have given their DNA samples. Now they are waiting like others. Champa says, “End this painful wait. They can now give bodies, so that we can perform the last rites to our loved ones. Now it is outside the evil. ”
When the aircraft, who arrived first to help, fell and the fireball fell and the fire balls raised, the common people living nearby came running and showed courage and solidarity in the defense. Water was given to the injured and controlled the crowd.
Praveen Patel, an auto driver living in the slum in Meghaninagar, came home for lunch. He had finished the food that a loud explosion was heard. He felt that a bomb had occurred or an earthquake. People came out of their homes. Patel and some other people rushed to the spot. The thick black smoke was spread all around.
Patel said, “The smoke was so much that no one was visible in the side. Eyes were burning, suffocating. When some fire brigade vehicles came and started extinguishing the fire, we saw the debris of the aircraft. We ran towards the rubble, we felt that people could be buried inside. I saw many burnt bodies. We tried to remove people. Government help reached later. ”
A few hours after the accident, when the fire brigade and ambulances started reaching the spot, some people took the work of diverting traffic on top of them, so that the rescuers could reach the spot as soon as possible.
Some people were seen distributing masks near the accident site, as it was very difficult to breathe due to smoke. This is a densely populated residential area, so thousands of people gathered at the scene. Some people made a human chain and helped in the movement of officers.
In the next few hours, when the burnt bodies were being taken out, some people helped the bodies to the ambulance on the stretcher. Some people brought white sheets to wrap burnt bodies. When the sheets were finished, the people living in the nearby slums gave their sheets and saris.
The first batch of fire personnel had worked to extinguish the fire until 43 degrees temperature. Only after the second batch arrived, he was able to sit near the wall of the complex to rest for a while. Some people gave them water, bananas, biscuits, etc. When the sun was settling, some people arranged for generators and flashlight to help in rescue work.
The aircraft collided with a hostel mess and four residential buildings. Prince Patel, son of Asrawa region counselor Meenaben Pattani, was passing by buildings at the time of the accident. They immediately jumped into the mess. Patel said, “I noticed that some students were buried under a wall. The building caught fire. There were suitcases all around. Some people were sitting on chairs, ready to eat lunch. I took out a dead body. The boy was holding a spoon in his hand, but he was dead. ”
Baldev Patel, who runs the auto, took out some bodies. Some of his friends also reached the spot and Patel Kimadad. They together helped to take out some bodies. He told, “There are slums all around. Imagine what would have happened if the aircraft fell on the slums and crashed. The number of casualties would have been much more than this. This number would also increase because as we immediately reached the spot, people living in these buildings do not come to the slums to save us. This is the irony of any tragedy. The rescue operation depends on who the deaths are. ”
It will take time to overcome this tragedy, but the aspect of humanity will always be remembered.
