NEW DELH: A delayed take-off may have prevented a far greater tragedy on Thursday when an Air India Dreamliner crashed into the residential quarters and mess hall of BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad, killing at least four people on the ground — including three resident doctors and the pregnant wife of another. Flight AI171 to London Gatwick, carrying 241 people onboard, took off 29 minutes behind schedule. Minutes earlier, a large group of doctors had finished lunch at the mess hall, which was later struck by the aircraft’s tail section. The Boeing 787, which lost control shortly after departing from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, disintegrated in mid-air and fell in three parts: the nose hit the Atulyam-11 residential quarters for undergraduate and postgraduate doctors, the midsection tore through a garden and road and the tail slammed into the mess building.
Resident doctors, doctor’s pregnant wife among dead
The crash turned a quiet afternoon into chaos on the BJ Medical College campus in Meghaninagar. Resident doctors Aaryan Rajput, Manav Bhadoo, and Rakesh Deora were confirmed dead. Kajal Pradip Solanki, the pregnant wife of another doctor, also died in the incident. Another doctor, Jay Prakash Chaudhary, was reported missing as of Thursday evening. With more than 300 doctors present across the five-storey building that houses both residential quarters and the doctors’ mess, the death toll could have been much higher if the plane had crashed even a few minutes later.‘I stepped out — and then came the blast’Dr Ramkrishna, who survived the crash, recounted the terrifying moment:“I was having lunch in the mess when a friend called to warn me about a plane flying unusually low. I stepped out — and then came a massive blast. There was intense heat, smoke, and panic. When it cleared, we saw the wreckage. We pulled out bodies — they were doctors, still in aprons.”The impact and ensuing fireball, fuelled by an estimated 1.25 lakh litres of jet fuel, caused widespread devastation across the premises.Narrow escapes and miraculous timingJunior Doctors’ Association president Dhaval Gameti narrowly escaped the tragedy.“I was upset in the morning because I couldn’t join my friends for lunch,” he said. “At 1:41pm, I got a call about smoke and assumed it was a small fire. I called Civil Hospital superintendent Rakesh Joshi for an ambulance. When we reached, Air India’s ambulances were already there — and the devastation was far worse than expected. We pulled out 21–22 students.”Intern Kushal Chauhan had just returned to his hostel after lunch. MBBS student Manthan had just started his two-wheeler when the plane crashed.“I tried to flee, but my friend who was riding pillion caught fire. He sustained burns but survived,” he said.“If the crash had happened just a few minutes later, many more doctors would have been in the mess. Most finish OPD around 2pm and come for lunch,” Chauhan added.13-year-old tea seller among victimsAmong the youngest victims was Akash Patni, 13, who ran a tea stall near the doctors’ quarters. He had taken up the job after losing his father during the Covid pandemic. His cousin Anil, who had gone home to fetch lunch for Akash, recalled:“I heard the blast and ran back. But there was nothing left — just pieces of him.”
