Imtiaz Ali Syed is still hoping for a miracle.
His brother, Javed Ali Syed, was on his way back to London aboard a Boeing 787 Dreamliner with his wife Mariam and their two young children, Zayn and Amani. Tragically, the aircraft plunged from the sky just 30 seconds after take-off.
Flight AI171, departing from Ahmedabad in western India and bound for London Gatwick, crashed into a student hostel at BJ Medical College, igniting a massive fire and killing 241 of the 242 people onboard.
Amazingly, one British passenger survived, crawling away from the wreckage with injuries.
The crash marks one of the most catastrophic air disasters in decades.
“I’m still holding on to hope,” Imtiaz says. “Maybe months or even a year from now, he’ll return and say, ‘I was somewhere else, no one noticed me.’”
At first, Imtiaz refused to believe the news. He thought perhaps it was a different flight number or that Javed missed the plane.
Then came an unconfirmed list online showing possible survivors — Javed’s name was among them. Imtiaz briefly felt a wave of relief.
But soon after, the same list was reissued, now labeling those names as deceased.
To this day, Imtiaz hasn’t told his mother, who recently suffered a heart attack. Javed had brought his family to India to celebrate Eid and care for her in Mumbai.
“If she finds out, it will be another heartbreak for us,” he says.
Bodies Reduced to Ashes
In the aftermath of the crash, families lined up at a temporary forensic unit on the college campus to provide DNA samples for identification.
Days later, the wait continues — for names, for remains, for some kind of closure. The devastation was so complete that many victims were reduced to fragments, and families are left outside morgues clinging to hope.
The flight was carrying 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian. With over 125,000 litres of fuel onboard, the explosion was so intense it incinerated nearly everything, making identification extremely difficult.
As of Monday, 125 victims had been identified through DNA testing, and 83 bodies had been returned to their families.
Missing on the Ground
Those near the crash site also suffered immense loss. With no official passenger manifest for the building, ground victims like Sarla Ben Thakor, a cook at the college hostel, and her two-year-old granddaughter Aadhya, are simply listed as missing.
Sarla’s husband, Prahlad Thakor, was nearby when the crash occurred.
“There was fire everywhere, thick smoke. I tried to help put it out, but it was unbearable,” he said.
The couple had worked at the hostel for over 10 years. Their grandchildren often visited to escape the heat. That day, Aadhya stayed with Sarla while her brother went out to play.
Since then, Prahlad has made repeated trips between the crash site and the mortuary, pleading to be let in to search.
“I might recognize something — her clothing, a belonging. I need to look for her,” he says, holding up a phone photo of Sarla and Aadhya.
But authorities have denied his requests.
‘It’s All Gone’
For survivors, grief is compounded by trauma.
Ojas Pandya, a young medical intern, was headed to the canteen when the crash occurred.
“There was a loud boom, intense fire and smoke. At first, I thought it was an earthquake,” he recalls. Ojas lost four friends, as well as Sarla Ben, the cook he saw daily.
“The ambulance sirens keep echoing in my head,” he says.
Burned-out buildings now stand as grim reminders of the tragedy.
Investigators, led by Indian authorities with assistance from the US and UK, are focusing on possible issues with the aircraft’s engine, flaps, and landing gear. The country’s aviation authority has ordered immediate safety checks of all Air India Boeing-787 jets.
Although the plane’s black box has been recovered, analysis could take several days.
Air India’s parent company, Tata Group, has offered $180,000 in compensation per victim. But many families say financial compensation isn’t enough — they want justice.
“This was not just an accident. It was negligence,” Imtiaz insists.
“You can’t understand the pain unless you’ve lived it. My brother’s whole family is gone. In 30 seconds. Just 30 seconds.”
