Ahmedabad crash victim’s sister demands accountability, transparency

As families reel from the aftermath of the Air India crash in Ahmedabad, delays in DNA identification have compounded their grief. Among them is Tripti Soni, who lost two family members in the tragedy. Speaking to The Federal, she recounts the emotional trauma, the lack of official communication, and the systemic failures in disaster response that continue to haunt grieving relatives.

How did you first learn about the crash, and when did you find out about the fate of your relatives?

I was talking to my brother all the way to the airport. Even just before boarding, we spoke about some business matters. I was confident he’d reach London safely. But maybe half an hour later, I got a call from my nephew saying the plane carrying my brother and sister-in-law had crashed. It was devastating. I think the news flashed almost immediately in India—that's how we found out.

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At that moment, did you know that all passengers had perished?

When you hear a plane has crashed, instinctively your heart tells you people might not have survived. After watching the blast in the video, in my heart I felt the same. But as human beings, we hold on to hope. I hoped my brother might have survived, or at least be among the injured. We rushed to the hospital and clung to that hope until the evening, wishing their names would appear in the survivors’ list. Unfortunately, there was only one survivor.

What’s the current status of handing over the bodies or mortal remains?

It’s very unfortunate and painful. This is the third day, and we are completely clueless. On the first day, they took our DNA samples and said it would take at least 72 hours. But even after that, we’ve received no official information. No authority has communicated anything about whether or when the bodies will be handed over. Every day, from morning to evening, we go and check if the DNA test is done. But even after three days, it hasn't happened.

Also read: Ahmedabad plane crash: ‘It looked like a bomb blast at first,’ says witness

Have you received any communication from the local or state administration?

Not so far. No official communication from anyone.

What about Air India? Have they contacted you?

Today is the third day, and only today I got a call from Air India. They just asked for some very basic information—address and other details. Other than that, there has been no communication.

Based on your experience, what lessons should be learned for future disaster management?

Unfortunate events can happen to anyone. Disasters, wars—anything can strike. But we need to be better prepared. For example, 300 bodies were brought to the civil hospital, and there was no facility to keep them for three days. The situation there is devastating and inhuman. It shows our lack of preparedness.

If there’s no space in the hospital morgue, they should use private hospitals. In an emergency, the government should take the initiative. Private hospitals could have voluntarily offered space. Relatives are waiting for the bodies—this should have been managed better.

Also read: Air India crash puts spotlight back on poor infrastructure at airports

Are there any other ways you’ve explored to help identify the bodies?

Yes. My dentist called and told me that bodies can also be identified through denture X-rays. If families can provide those, it might help. Of course, not everyone may have denture records, but those who do could share them. Unfortunately, this information hasn’t been shared by the authorities. If it had been, families would have stepped up to provide such records and expedite the process. There is a way to do this, but we don't have the wherewithal.

Have you given or do you plan to give suggestions to local authorities for better preparedness?

As I said, the unfortunate event can’t be undone. But we want a fair and free inquiry into what caused it. We deserve justice. And for that, the first step is an independent and expedited investigation. We need to know why this happened—and we need to know it soon.

Closure for the families will only come when we are told the real cause of the crash. Right now, the delay in DNA testing and identification is only adding to our grief.

(The content above has been transcribed from video using a fine-tuned AI model. To ensure accuracy, quality, and editorial integrity, we employ a Human-In-The-Loop (HITL) process. While AI assists in creating the initial draft, our experienced editorial team carefully reviews, edits, and refines the content before publication. At The Federal, we combine the efficiency of AI with the expertise of human editors to deliver reliable and insightful journalism.)