Among the many killed in the horrific Air India crash near BJ Medical College, Ahmedabad, was 13-year-old Akash Patni — a tea seller’s son, who had only stepped out to bring lunch to his mother. He ended up becoming a victim of the disaster that scorched more than the skies.
Patni had been sleeping under the shade of a tree in front of the family’s modest tea stall, right across from the BJ Medical College hostel.
That patch of sidewalk had been their only refuge since they were evicted by their landlord over two weeks ago.
The family, displaced and dispossessed, had turned the street into their shelter, cobbling together a fragile life from the meagre earnings of the stall.
“He was just resting after bringing food to his mother,” his aunt Hansa told The Quint. The waiting, she said, is its own kind of trauma.
“We have no idea where the body is, or when the DNA report will come. My brother keeps looking at the list of names. He doesn't speak. Should we go collect the body, or sit with my brother? Or should we stay with his wife, my sister-in-law, who keeps asking ‘Where is my son? How is my son?’ We’ve not told her yet that he is dead. She will not be able to take it," said Hansa.
His father had asked him to take lunch to his mother at the stall. She had just finished eating and went to drink some water, just a few feet away. Akash lay down for a few minutes, and then the crash happened. And the fire was everywhere.Hansa, Deceased Akash Patni's aunt, Ahmedabad
The family had been running the yea stall for 40-50 years, Hansa remarked.
“Our family has always lived nearby. But after the demolition of our home by the government, we were pushed onto the streets. For the last three months, we’ve been living on the pavement, with all our belongings. My brother worked hard to keep us afloat, and I took care of our elderly parents and their medicines."
The boy's father, Suresh, has provided a DNA sample and he now waits for the body to be officially identified by the hospital.
As per the latest reports, at least 270 bodies have been recovered from the deadly Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad. The London-bound flight crashed into the BJ medical college hostel and resulted in many casualties and injuries on 12 June.