**Tragedy Strikes: Families of Air India Crash Victims Hold Onto Hope Amidst Heartbreak**

**As search efforts continue, families insist on hope, rejecting the finality of loss despite the tragedy that unfolded in seconds.**

Imtiyaz Ali Sayed is caught in a painful limbo, caught between hope and despair. He can’t bring himself to grieve — not when the news broke that his younger brother Javed, along with his sister-in-law and two children, were among the victims of the Air India crash that rocked Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon. Not after more than 10 hours of waiting, as the clock inches toward daybreak, with bodies stored within the sterile walls of the hospital, awaiting identification.

The plane, bound for London, was carrying 242 passengers when it plunged shortly after takeoff and crashed into the BJ Medical College in a crowded residential area. Miraculously, only one passenger survived the incident, and forensic teams have begun the somber task of conducting DNA tests to identify the victims.

Sayed, a businessman from Mumbai, is not alone in his anguish. He shares pictures of his niece and nephew, taken at the airport moments before their fateful flight. He reflects on the cruel twist of fate that saw their elder sister denied a ticket to accompany them. “As long as I haven’t seen his body, or whatever remains of it, I’ll keep searching,” he insists, his voice tremulous with emotion. “They were my everything – losing hope means losing myself.”

The crash was a calamity that unfolded in mere moments — a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner erupted in flames, creating chaos in the skies. Local witnesses reported the thunderous roar of the aircraft plunging towards the medical college, which has since become the epicenter of grief and confusion. Among the wreckage, the devastation extends beyond the aircraft; eight people on the ground were confirmed dead.

Tragically, the identification process is compounded by the sheer destruction, with many bodies left badly charred and unrecognizable. A volunteer from the hospital articulated the plight of authorities trying to distinguish victims among the chaos: “It’s like trying to tell ashes apart from ashes.”

Families camped outside the hospital have turned to one another in shared sorrow. Sameer Shaikh recalls how his son Irfan, an Air India crew member, never failed to message before every flight. “I was confused when the airline called; he was supposed to be flying to London, but instead, we got the news he was gone,” he reflects brokenly. Despite the knowledge, the waiting continues as police inform him it will take three days for DNA tests.

Far from the hospital, the turmoil continues. Payal Thakur waits anxiously for news of her mother, Sarla, who was making lunch for students when the crash occurred. “She had decided to stay back, and that’s when the plane hit,” she recounts, her voice trailing off in despair. With both her mother and a cousin still missing, the search seems increasingly futile amidst the wreckage.

On the college campus, students report chaos — an ordinary afternoon shattered by the screeching of metal tearing through the air. As they fled for safety, the panic and grief were palpable, with many left injured in the aftermath of the crash.

As night falls, the strain of loss hangs heavy in the air. Families cling to hope, even amid the overwhelming tide of despair, determined to find closure and answers in the face of an unimaginable tragedy.