'100 sovereign of gold, intact Bhagavad Gita'; List of belongings found from Air India flight crash debris

GANDHINAGAR: On June 12, at 1:39 pm, an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, that took off from Ahmedabad airport, crashed into a hostel building in Meghaninagar, two kilometres away. The plane, which fell from a height of 650 feet, was soon enveloped in a fire blaze. 274 people including all cabin crew perished in the tragedy.

The first to reach the accident site were people from the nearby area. Later a team led by 56-year-old Raju Patel reached the accident site. Raju Patel told the media that for the first 15 to 20 minutes, they could not even get close and there was fire all around. When the first fire brigade and ambulance arrived at the spot, the locals provided bedsheets and saree to cover the dead bodies and the injured ones. No stretchers were found in the hurry during those initial hours.

Raju Patel's team conducted rescue operations at the site till 9 pm. His team handed over the materials and belongings of passengers found on the debris to the authorities.

Raju Patel’s team recovered 70 tolas (more than 800 grams) of gold ornaments, Rs 80,000, passports and a Bhagavad Gita. Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghvi told the media the other day that all the personal items recovered are being recorded and will be returned to the victims’ kin.