Air India Crash Tragedy Hits B.J. Medical College: Four Medical Students and Doctor’s Wife Among Victims, Dozens Injured and Missing

 

The horrifying crash of Air India flight AI 171 on Thursday afternoon has left a deep scar on the city of Ahmedabad, particularly on the medical fraternity of B. J. Medical College, one of Gujarat’s premier medical institutions.

As the devastating aftermath continues to unfold, officials confirmed that the aircraft not only claimed the lives of all 242 individuals on board but also wreaked destruction on the ground, killing at least 24 residents in the densely populated Meghaninagar area, where the plane crashed into the premises of the medical college.

Among the victims on the ground were four budding doctors — MBBS students from B. J. Medical College — two from the First Year and two from the Second Year of their studies.

Their deaths have sent shockwaves through the medical community, already grappling with the emotional weight of the disaster. Dr. Minakshi Parikh, Dean of B.J. Medical College, confirmed the heartbreaking loss.

“We have lost four of our students — two from First Year and two from Second Year. It is an irreparable loss for us,” she said, her voice trembling as she spoke to the media.

In addition to the students, the wife of a faculty doctor also lost her life in the crash. The impact site was the dining hall of the medical hostel, which was crowded at the time, further escalating the number of casualties.

According to Dr. Parikh, two more students from the college remain unaccounted for as of Thursday evening, sparking fears that the death toll may rise further.

The gravity of the incident is further highlighted by the injury list: at least 20 students were wounded in the crash, five of whom are in critical condition and currently receiving intensive medical care.

“We are particularly concerned about three First Year students and two from the Second Year who have sustained serious injuries and are being closely monitored.

Additionally, we have not been able to establish contact with two students from the Third Year. We fear the worst but are hoping for a miracle,” Dr. Parikh added.

The situation was so chaotic that in the immediate aftermath, identifying the victims proved to be a significant challenge.

“The condition of the bodies made it impossible for us to identify them visually. We had to quickly mobilize groups of students to call their peers, check who was safe, and narrow down the list of those potentially missing.

That’s how we began piecing together the scale of the tragedy,” the Dean explained.

Assisting the college in this massive effort are forensic experts who arrived on the scene to help with the identification of the deceased.

Simultaneously, the Gujarat government swung into action by setting up DNA testing centres at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital to facilitate faster and more accurate identification of victims.

Dhananjay Dwivedi, Principal Secretary in the Health and Family Welfare Department and recently appointed Officer on Special Duty at the hospital, urged the families of the deceased and missing to come forward and provide DNA samples to aid the process.

“The plane struck a highly populated section of the hospital campus, which includes not just the medical students’ hostel but also staff quarters and residential apartments.

Many were injured — approximately 50 people have been admitted to the hospital so far. Thankfully, the majority of them are in stable condition,” Dwivedi informed reporters.

Eyewitness accounts have painted a grim and harrowing picture of the crash. One witness, whose name has been withheld, shared with PTI:

“The aircraft crashed right into the dining hall of the hostel, where students were present for lunch. It was chaos — screams, fire, smoke, and injured people everywhere. It was a nightmare.”

Another resident, Haresh Shah, who lives near the crash site, spoke to PTI with shock still evident in his voice. “There are several five-storey buildings in this area that serve as residential quarters for staff and families. When the plane hit, some of these buildings caught fire.

Many people who lived there were injured in the fire or by the debris.”

The area around Meghaninagar has been cordoned off as rescue and recovery operations continue. Firefighters, paramedics, and disaster management personnel have been working nonstop to search for any additional victims who might be trapped under rubble, provide medical aid to the injured, and prevent any secondary accidents due to the fire and structural collapse.

The tragic incident has not only shattered the lives of those directly affected but also cast a long, somber shadow over the entire city.

For the students and faculty of BB.J. Medical College, it is a moment of collective mourning and unimaginable grief — one that has claimed the lives of future doctors who had barely begun their journeys in medicine.

This catastrophe is now being remembered not just as an aviation disaster but also as a dark day in Gujarat’s educational and medical history.

The loss of young, bright lives and the emotional trauma faced by survivors and witnesses will remain etched in the hearts of many for years to come.