A month after the devastating Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, survivors and the families of the deceased continue to battle trauma, grief, and displacement. The crash, which killed over 260 people on June 12, left an irreparable mark not only on passengers but also on those who lived and worked near the crash site. For many, life will never return to what it once was.
Among the affected is Sita Patni, a tea seller who ran a stall just outside the main gate of Atulyam hostels. Viral videos later showed Viswash Kumar Ramesh, the sole survivor of the crash, walking out of that very gate, phone in hand.
Sita Lost Her Son, Suffered Burns Saving Him
Sita’s 13-year-old son Aakash, burned to death after the aircraft exploded near the boys’ hostel mess of B J Medical College, where she tried to rescue him and suffered severe burns on the right side of her body. Sita remained hospitalized until Thursday, when the family moved to their ancestral village in Patan for Aakash’s funeral rites.
Her husband, Suresh Patni, shared that Sita is still far from healed. “She had to be discharged for the funeral rituals; once we return to Ahmedabad, we will admit her again for treatment,” he said. Their tea stall, once a part of the local rhythm, has now been replaced by a police picket tent and a cooler shielding officers from Gujarat’s summer heat.
Ravi Thakore Lost His Daughter and Mother
Ravi Thakore, another local, lost his two-year-old daughter Aadhya and his mother Sarla, a cook at the same hostel mess. On July 12, Aadhya would have turned two. On the day of the crash, Ravi and his wife Lalita were delivering tiffins to doctors, leaving Aadhya with Sarla.
Their bodies were declared missing before DNA profiling identified them, and the family conducted the final rites on June 19. “We can’t go back to work there; it reminds us of everything we’ve lost,” Ravi said. His family depended entirely on the medical college campus—Sarla cooked, while the others delivered meals. Now, even that livelihood feels out of reach.
Lives Shattered Beyond Repair
The Air India crash devastated not only passengers and crew but also the lives of ordinary families whose paths crossed with that moment. Their grief lingers beyond headlines, rooted in daily struggles and irreplaceable losses.
