'If I give up searching, I might never recover': Families of air crash victims cling to hope

Imtiyaz Ali Sayed refuses to grieve.

Not erstwhile the quality archetypal broke - that his younger member Javed, on with Javed's woman and 2 children, had perished successful the devastating Air India clang successful Ahmedabad connected Thursday afternoon.

Not adjacent now, much than 10 hours later, arsenic the timepiece strikes 3 successful the greeting and helium paces the sterile corridors of the infirmary wherever their bodies lie, refusing to sit, refusing to accept.

Authorities person confirmed that lone 1 of the 242 radical aboard the London-bound formation survived. DNA investigating is present underway to place the victims.

Mr Sayed, a Mumbai-based businessman, is 1 of dozens of families awaiting closure aft 1 of India's worst aviation disasters.

He says that until helium sees his brother's assemblage - oregon "whatever remains of it" - with his ain eyes, helium volition support looking for him.

"You don't understand. They were my beingness - if I springiness up now, I mightiness ne'er beryllium capable to recover," helium says.

Then helium swipes done his phone, showing pictures of his niece and nephew, including immoderate that were taken conscionable moments earlier they boarded the flight.

Mr Sayed recalls however their elder sister was meant to question to London with Javed but couldn't get a ticket. Then helium falls silent. Outside, the nighttime deepens, the entity darkening by dilatory degrees.

Minutes later, helium picks up his telephone again - this clip to amusement a bid of messages helium sent Javed aft proceeding astir the crash.

"Look," helium says, holding retired the screen. "They're inactive getting delivered. That has to mean something, right?"

The calamity had unfolded successful seconds: a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner burst into flames soon aft takeoff from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, crashing into a aesculapian assemblage successful a densely packed residential neighborhood.

"There was a large roar, a deafening screech and past suddenly, fire, robust and alloy began to rainfall from the sky," said Mukesh, a operator who lives astir 15 minutes distant from the tract of the crash.

At slightest 8 radical who were killed connected the ground, a elder wellness authoritative successful Ahmedabad has told the BBC. When rescuers archetypal arrived, they recovered fragments of the craft shattered with specified unit that it was hard to archer the pieces isolated from quality remains, 2 members of the catastrophe unit told the BBC.

Since the crash, a foul, acrid odor has hung implicit the country arsenic fume billowed from the wreckage precocious into the night.

Authorities accidental they're moving to place victims, but the standard of demolition has made the task immensely difficult.

A unpaid astatine Civil Hospital told the BBC, connected information of anonymity, that galore bodies are truthful severely charred and mangled, carnal recognition whitethorn beryllium impossible.

"It's similar trying to archer ashes isolated from ashes."

For families, the hold has been excruciating. Many person camped extracurricular the hospital- successful cars oregon connected the streets - their anguished cries echoing done the corridors.

Sameer Shaikh's woman can't halt crying. Their son, Irfan - an Air India unit subordinate - didn't telephone often, but ever messaged earlier takeoff and aft landing.

So erstwhile the hose called that afternoon, Mr Shaikh was confused. Irfan was expected to beryllium en way to London.

"But instead, we recovered retired helium died successful a crash."

Shaikh, who lives successful Pune, flew to Ahmedabad with his household to cod his son's body. An Air India authoritative astatine the Civil Hospital helped him with the recognition process.

"But the constabulary didn't fto america instrumentality my lad back," helium says. "They asked america to travel backmost successful 3 days, aft the DNA sampling of each the victims was completed."

Devastated, the mates person been searching for assistance - and answers.

"What are we to do?" helium asks, pointing to his wife, sitting connected a thoroughfare corner, sobbing. "How tin we hold 3 days erstwhile we cognize it's our son?"

The Shaikhs are not unsocial successful their anguish. Just crossed the city, different calamity is inactive unfolding - this 1 astatine the precise tract wherever the level went down.

BJ Medical College Civil Hospital, 1 of Ahmedabad's astir respected institutions, became crushed zero erstwhile the craft crashed into its hostel connected Thursday. Casualties person been reported, but the afloat toll remains unclear.

Payal Thakur paces anxiously, searching for immoderate quality astir her mother, Sarla, who worked arsenic a navigator astatine the hostel. She was successful the backmost of the gathering - the precise spot wherever the craft struck.

Recounting the day's events, Ms Thakur says her family, who enactment astatine the hospital, had near for enactment astir 13:00 section time.

"The program was to service luncheon to the doctors and instrumentality home. But erstwhile my parent saw students arriving astatine the messiness hall, she decided to enactment backmost and marque rotis (flatbreads) for them," she says.

That was the infinitesimal the level slammed into the hostel and tore done the building's archetypal floor. In the chaotic minutes that followed, disorder and grief hung heavy.

"There was truthful overmuch achromatic fume pouring retired of the building. People were running, trying to prevention their lives. We've been searching for our parent since morning, but we haven't recovered immoderate hint of her," she adds.

Her father, Prahlad Thakur, says Sarla wasn't unsocial - "My brother's girl was with her," helium says. Both are missing.

They searched the apical floor, wherever the room was, but recovered nothing.

"I went determination twice, hoping to find thing - anything. But determination was lone h2o and debris," helium says.

The clang didn't conscionable shatter a gathering - it shattered a mean day connected campus.

"There was a large noise. All the doors and windows of the schoolroom began to tremble. Everyone ran extracurricular to cheque what had happened," a student, who preferred to stay unnamed, said.

As the quality dispersed and it began to go progressively wide that galore students had been injured - perchance adjacent killed - panic rippled crossed the campus. Some began to run, others, excessively dazed by what they had witnessed, froze connected the spot, their sobs mingling with the screams.

"A pupil conscionable stood determination with tears successful his eyes, incapable to move, portion others were truthful severely wounded they had to beryllium carried to the hospital. Many are present being treated for terrible wounds, a fewer of them are successful the ICU," the different added.

By evening, the severely damaged corridors stood silent. Backpacks and half-eaten meals laic abandoned connected tables wherever students had fled. The aerial was inactive heavy with smoke, sirens, and the value of what had conscionable unfolded.

Additional reporting by Kalpesh Kumar Chavda successful Ahmedabad