Air India Crash: Man Saves Injured With Sarees, Recovers Rs 80,000 & 70 Tolas Gold From Debris

Gandhinagar: When Air India flight AI171 crashed into the BJ Medical College premises in Gandhinagar, 56-year-old local businessman Raju Patel sprang into action without hesitation. Just minutes away from the site when the tragedy struck, Patel and his team rushed to the scene, arriving within five minutes of the crash.

The scene that greeted them was one of devastation — dense smoke, flames, and cries for help echoed across the compound. “For the first 15 to 20 minutes, we could barely get close. The fire was too intense,” Patel told The Times of India.

As emergency services began to arrive, Patel and his team quickly joined rescue efforts. In the absence of stretchers, they used sarees and bedsheets to carry the wounded from the wreckage to safety.

By 4:00 p.m., as the critical phase of rescue operations wrapped up, Patel and his associates shifted focus to helping recover belongings from the crash debris. Among the items they found were 70 tolas of gold jewellery, Rs 80,000 in cash, several passports, and a copy of the Bhagavad Gita. All recovered possessions were handed over to the authorities. “We found gold in boxes, bangles and other ornaments scattered in the debris,” he told TOI.

The group continued assisting at the crash site until 9:00 p.m., with full permission from the authorities. Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi later confirmed that all recovered belongings would be returned to the families of the victims after proper verification.

Having previously volunteered during the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts, Patel said the impact of the Air India tragedy was beyond anything he had witnessed. “The destruction, the flames, the loss wrought by the crash is something I will never forget,” he said.