Daijiworld Media Network – Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad, Jun 13: What was meant to be another ordinary afternoon turned into unspeakable tragedy for the Thakor family after an Air India flight crashed into the hostel mess of BJ Medical College, killing scores including, possibly, 52-year-old Sharlaben Thakor and her two-year-old granddaughter Adhya, who remain missing since the crash.

Sharlaben, who worked in the college canteen preparing hot chapattis, curries, and Gujarati delicacies for students and professors, was at the mess with little Adhya when the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner slammed into the building just 32 seconds after take-off on Thursday.

Her son, Ravi Thakor, who delivered the meals, was on his daily round when the tragedy struck. “It was a regular day. I had just gone to deliver food to the hospital when we heard the plane had crashed. The mess where my mother sat was completely charred,” he said, fighting back tears.

The ill-fated flight AI-171 had taken off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:38 pm en route to London’s Gatwick Airport, carrying 242 people. Only one survived — British-Indian passenger Vishwash Kumar Ramesh.

With bodies still being pulled out from the rubble, Ravi and his sister Payal wait anxiously for news. Both have submitted DNA samples Ravi’s to help identify his daughter, Payal’s for their mother.

“We have been running from pillar to post but have found nothing. We’re told to wait 72 hours. But where do we even look?” cried Payal. “My mother went into the mess and never returned. My niece was with her… we can’t find either of them.”

As Civil Hospital authorities continue forensic work and search teams dig through the debris, the Thakor family clings to the faint hope of closure or a miracle.