The body of 15-year-old Akash Suresh Patni, a resident of Ahmedabad who dreamed of becoming a pilot, was identified through DNA testing on Monday night and handed over to his grieving family the next day.
Akash was one of the victims of the June 12 Ahmedabad plane crash. He had gone to deliver lunch to his mother, who runs a tea stall near a student hostel along the airport’s flight path. It was a routine task for Akash, who often helped his mother and spent his time watching airplanes, hoping that one day he would fly one himself. “One day I’ll fly a plane,” he used to tell her.
Tragically, he happened to be at the crash site at the wrong time. The crash claimed his life and left his mother with severe burn injuries. She is currently being treated at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital. Due to the condition of Akash’s body—100 percent burned—the family was not allowed to open the coffin.
His sisters brought rakhis to lay on the coffin, hoping to give him one last farewell. One of them broke down outside the ambulance, devastated by the loss. A large crowd, including friends, neighbours, and community members, gathered to bid Akash a tearful goodbye.
Gandhinagar’s Chief Fire Officer Om Jadeja and Ahmedabad’s Joint Police Commissioner Vidhi Chaudhary praised the pilots for averting an even greater disaster. “Had the aircraft crashed just 100 metres ahead, it could have destroyed the entire Ahmedabad Civil Hospital campus,” Chaudhary said. The hospital houses over 1,200 patients, along with medical staff, students, and their families.
Akash’s sisters Said,“He always dreamed of becoming a pilot. He was too young. We’ve lost our little one.”