Rajesh Patel, a businessman and one of the first responders to the tragic Air India AI171 plane crash in Ahmedabad on June 12, claimed that he found around 70 ‘tola’of gold and around ₹70,000 in cash from the debris while lending a hand in the rescue efforts. One tola is roughly 11 grams.
Patel said that he handed over the discovered gold and cash to the government authorities.
The deadly crash of the Air India Boeing 787-7 Dreamliner into the hostel complex of BJ Medical College claimed the lives of all but one passenger. Additionally, 29 persons, who were present on the ground in the Meghani Nagar area were also killed.
Patel told news agency ANI that the crash took place around 300 metres away from his house, and as soon as they saw the plane turning into a ball of flames, they rushed to the site.
"Nothing was visible when we reached the crash site. Our eyes were burning due to the fuel and fire pouring all around us, and there was no place to go inside due to the smoke... After the fire was extinguished, we approached the crash and saw that the bodies of people were lying everywhere," he said.
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Patel explained that the dreadful scene made it clear that no one could have survived. Therefore, after the fire was doused, Patel, along with other first responders, helped collect the dead bodies using old sarees, dupattas, and wheat rags.
{{/usCountry}}Patel explained that the dreadful scene made it clear that no one could have survived. Therefore, after the fire was doused, Patel, along with other first responders, helped collect the dead bodies using old sarees, dupattas, and wheat rags.
{{/usCountry}}"After all the bodies were recovered, we thought since we could not save anyone, we should at least take care of their belongings," said Patel.
Passports, gold, Gita, and cash
In those belongings, Patel said they found, British passports, Indian passports, burnt mobile phones, laptops, and iPads.
"We found a passenger's mobile still on, whose screen was broken, and the phone was not working. We found a lot of jewellery. We found 70-80 tolas of gold. We gave that to the officer there. Our effort was that at least the last remains of the deceased could be given to their families," Patel told ANI.
Additionally, they also found idols of Lord Krishna and a Bhagavad Gita. He said that all of this stuff was collected from the crash site and handed over to a government officer.
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"I have not even taken a single photograph of that site... We also found ₹50,000 to 70,000 in cash. We gave all this to the government officer," Patel added.
Since the bodies of the Air India crash victims were charred beyond recognition, authorities began carrying out DNA testing to match their identification. As of Sunday night, DNA samples of 251 victims had been identified, and mortal remains of 245 victims had been handed over to their respective families.
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Ahmedabad Civil Hospital Superintendent Rakesh Joshi told reporters, "DNA samples of 251 dead bodies of the plane crash have been matched. So far, a total of 245 bodies have been handed over to the families, while six families, who are from the UK, will receive the bodies of their relatives in the near future."
"The 245 dead include 176 Indian citizens, 7 Portuguese, 49 British citizens, one Canadian and 12 non-passengers," he added.
Among the deceased was former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani. His funeral was held with full state honours in Rajkot on June 16.