Indore June 13
Among the 241 people who lost their lives in the Air India plane crash in Gujarat's Ahmedabad a day ago was Harpreet Kaur Hora, who was on her way to London to meet her husband for his birthday.
According to her relative, Rajeev Singh Hora, the family was filled with joy as Harpreet prepared for her trip to London.
"Before she was leaving for London, everyone sent congratulatory messages, and even spoke to her on the phone. After that, we learned directly from the news about what happened." Rajeev told ANI.
Harpreet's husband had requested that she meet him in London for his birthday on June 16; therefore, she booked tickets for the fateful flight. The family is now waiting for the DNA test results to confirm her identity, with the last rites to be performed in Ahmedabad.
"Her husband insisted she meet him in London for his birthday on 16 June, as she planned to go to London on 19 June. So she booked the tickets for yesterday... Her father's DNA test was done yesterday. He will be called after 72 hours. The last rites will be performed in Ahmedabad. She got married in 2020.", Rajeev said.
Meanwhile, a father's hope for his daughter to succeed in life through education was crushed after the Ahmedabad plane crash, which killed her along with all others on board except one passenger in Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft. Payal Khatik was on her way to pursue an M.Tech course at a college in London.
Talking to ANI, a relative of Payal Khatik described how her father struggled to find the money for his daughter's education in London. The relative said that her family placed great hope in her future. "Our relative Payal Khatik was in that flight. She was the daughter of our relative Suresh Khatik. We all went to see her off for her flight. When we learned about the plane crash, we travelled again to Ahmedabad," the relative told ANI.
"Our DNA samples have been taken...The financial condition of the family is not good. Suresh Khatik supports his livelihood by pulling a loading rickshaw. Payal used to take care of the family by giving tuition to the students. ..They took loans from the community and other places to support her education in London," he added.
Another victim, Sanket Goswami, who was also heading to London to pursue higher education, was onboard the AI-171 plane, which crashed soon after it took off from the Ahmedabad International Airport, into a medical college complex in Meghaninagar nearby.
The victim's family, residents of Mehsana, said Sanket was passionate and was travelling to London to pursue higher studies."My nephew lost his only son, Sanket Goswami. He was going to London to study. He was an enthusiastic boy. he has a younger sister," his relative said.
The AI-171 Boeing Dreamliner 787-8 aeroplane bound for London's Gatwick had crashed shortly after it took off from the Ahmedabad International Airport on Thursday. The airlines said only one out of the 242 people on board the aircraft survived the crash.
The aircraft was piloted by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a Line Training Captain with 8,200 hours of flying experience, assisted by First Officer Clive Kundar, who had logged 1,100 flying hours. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is a division of the Ministry of Civil Aviation tasked with probing aircraft accidents in India.
A formal investigation has been launched by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) into the deadly crash of Air India flight 171 that killed 241 people onboard, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu confirmed on Thursday. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), a federal agency authorised by Congress to investigate civil aviation accidents in the United States (US), is gearing up to send a team of investigators to India to assist with probing the deadly Ahmedabad plane crash.
— ANI
Reader Comments
This is absolutely heartbreaking 💔 Every story behind these passengers shows so much hope and dreams. That poor father who pulled a rickshaw to send his daughter abroad... Can't imagine his pain. Air India needs to answer tough questions about safety standards.
The government should immediately provide compensation to all families, especially those like Payal's who took loans for education. Such tragedies remind us how precious life is. My prayers with all affected families ðŸ™
So many young lives lost pursuing education abroad... Makes me question if our own education system is failing when students have to go overseas for quality degrees. But that's a discussion for another day. Right now, we must stand with the grieving families.
The birthday celebration that turned tragic... Life can change in seconds. Harpreet's story especially hits hard. Hope the investigation is thorough and not just another bureaucratic exercise. Families deserve real answers.
While we mourn, let's also appreciate the pilots who must have fought till the end to save lives. 8200 hours of experience - that's a senior captain. The lone survivor's testimony will be crucial for understanding what went wrong.
As someone who frequently flies Air India, this makes me nervous. But we must avoid jumping to conclusions before the investigation completes. However, the aviation ministry should conduct surprise safety audits across all airlines immediately.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.