Ahmedabad: Residents from across Ahmedabad thronged the Air India Dreamliner crash site at the BJ medical college hostel building in Meghani Nagar to click selfies and record videos on Friday, literally turning the location of India’s worst aviation accident in the last three decades into a ‘disaster tourism’ zone.
Most wanted to click a photo of the tail of the Dreamliner still lodged in the hostel building, a grim reminder of the accident in which over 240 persons were killed; for many, a selfie with aircraft tail in the background was the perfect composition. The hot summer day with temperature hovering around the 40 degrees did not deter the determined disaster tourist.
The area continued to remain chaotic on Friday with some parts of the zone where the plane debris had fallen secured by police. Rest of the locality was game.
Krunal Panchal, who lives some 15 km away from the incident site, was looking for a strategic spot to get a glimpse of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner’s wreckage. “I had some work nearby, so I thought of visiting this area as well to see the extent of the accident and its impact,” Panchal told HT. From groups of friends to families with children, visitors were able to get as close as 100 metres from the crash site.
Rafique Patel from Ahmedabad’s Jamalpur area had come along with his wife, while Jeetendra Kumar arrived on his two-wheeler with his wife and school-going son. “The pictures on television looked very dramatic,” Patel was quick to add, as hundreds were jostling with each other to get as close to the building.
{{/usCountry}}Rafique Patel from Ahmedabad’s Jamalpur area had come along with his wife, while Jeetendra Kumar arrived on his two-wheeler with his wife and school-going son. “The pictures on television looked very dramatic,” Patel was quick to add, as hundreds were jostling with each other to get as close to the building.
{{/usCountry}}Police personnel have been posted at multiple points to manage the crowd. “It is very difficult to manage people. A large number of young people are turning up. We cannot even use force against them,” said a policeman, telling people to leave as entry to the place is restricted.
Aditya Patani, who lives in Meghani Nagar’s Block 1, which is closest to BJ Medical College’s Mess building, said he had a tough time restricting people from accessing their terrace.
“There is an unobstructed view of the aircraft’s tail fin from the terrace. As so many people are drawn to the building, I have locked the terrace to bar people from entering the terrace. I cannot permit any random person or strangers to enter this building,” Patani told HT.