Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India] June 15 : In a heart-wrenching incident, the family of Lawrence Daniel Christian, one of the 241 passengers who died in the Air India plane crash en route to London, mourned yet another loss just days after the death of the family's patriarch.
Lawrence, who had been living in London with his wife for the past one and a half years due to work commitments, had recently returned to Ahmedabad on leave following his father's demise. Tragically, his journey back to London ended in disaster, leaving the Christian family shattered once again.
While speaking to ANI, his mother, Raveena Daniel Christian, said, "...He was living in London with his wife for the last 1.5 years due to work. He came here on leave after my husband's death 15 days ago...He was returning to London and we also went..."
She could not finish the sentence as grief overtook her. The Christian family had accompanied Lawrence to the airport to bid farewell, unaware that it would be the last time they would see him alive.
Additional Medical Superintendent of Civil Hospital Dr Rajnish Patel said, "...So far, DNA samples of 15 deceased have been matched...The mortal remains of three deceased have been handed over to their families..."
Meanwhile, Retired Captain and aviation expert Alok Singh has shared his insights on the tragic Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, which resulted in the loss of 241 lives.
Singh attributed the crash to possible causes such as loss of thrust on both engines, bird strike, pilot error, or technical fault.
Alok Singh said, "This is a very tragic incident. It will be marked as Black Day in world aviation industry. This is the rarest of rare incidents. From the video, it is clear that the aircraft stopped producing lift. The reason for this could be loss of thrust on both engines, which could have happened due to fuel starvation, or the engine could have stopped getting fuel. A bird strike is also a possibility. This can also be a pilot error. It can also be a technical fault."
Singh emphasised the importance of the black box, which records crucial data and cockpit conversations. He explained that the data from the black box would be analysed to determine the exact cause of the crash.
On Thursday, the Air India flight AI171 was en route to London from Ahmedabad when it crashed shortly after takeoff from the airport, ramming into a doctors' hostel of BJ Medical College in Gujarat's Ahmedabad.
There were 242 people on board the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, including 230 passengers and 12 crew members. Of the passengers, 241 died in the crash. The lone survivor, identified as Vishwashkumar Ramesh, a British national of Indian origin, sustained injuries and is undergoing treatment.