Air India crash: Bodies of canteen cook, her granddaughter located after a week at hospital morgue

The missing cook Saralaben Thakor, who used to work in the canteen over which the Air India plane crashed in Ahmedabad, and her two-year-old granddaughter Adhya have been finally located in the morgue of the Civil Hospital. Both were missing since the crash as Lalita Thakor, Adhya's mother and Sarala's daughter-in-law was running from pillar to post to trace them.

ET had earlier reported on Lalita's plight and angst as she lost the two in the melee when the plane struck the hostel building. The family used to prepare food for the student doctors while the two-year-old Adhya used to run around and play with the medical students.

Lalita had approached every doctor in the Civil Hospital looking for her daughter and mother-in-law as her husband Ravi went around checking even the private hospitals looking for his mother and daughter. The family had finally filed a missing complaint in Meghani Nagar police station and submitted their DNA sample. Late on Wednesday night, they were informed that the DNA profiles of Adhya and Sarala have been matched and the bodies would be handed over on Friday.


Meanwhile, Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik told the media that so far, 214 DNA profiles have been matched and eight bodies, which did not need DNA matching, have been handed over to the relatives of the victims. Including these eight bodies, 204 bodies have been handed over to the families already, he said, adding that further matching is going on and it will soon be over.

The ruling BJP is organising a condolence meeting for those who lost their lives in the plane crash, including former chief minister Vijay Rupani at the party headquarters in Gandhinagar on Friday. BJP National President JP Nadda along with party general secretary B Satish are scheduled to attend the programme.