When the London Gatwick-bound Air India flight 171 crashed into the hostel buildings of Ahmedabad’s BJ Medical College in the afternoon of June 12, Dr Urveki Parekh was at her house in the nearby residential quarters that the Boeing 787 Dreamliner narrowly missed.
By 7pm, Parekh, an assistant professor at the same college with a Doctor of Medicine (MD) in Psychiatry, was counselling relatives of passengers on board the flight at the medical college in Ahmedabad. The 32-year-old is now among the group of grief counsellors roped in the by the state health department for counselling families affected by the crash.
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The Gujarat government, on Saturday, announced that grief counsellors have been assigned to families to help them deal with the mental trauma. The move comes two days after AI-171 crashed seconds after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai International Airport in Ahmedabad on June 12, killing 241 out of 242 people on board, marking India’s worst single-aircraft tragedy.
More than 72 hours after the crash, even as officials of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) are conducting a probe into the crash; forensic expert are working to match over 200 DNA samples from the bodies of the deceased; and crematoriums are being readied for mass funeral, the grief counsellors are at work in different locations within the BJ Medical College complex.
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Parekh spoke to HT about the counselling sessions that more than 1,000 relatives affected by the tragedy are taking while they wait for the authorities to identify the charred bodies, allowing them to conduct the final rites. Until Sunday evening, authorities had successfully identified 86 bodies through DNA matching.
“There are five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargain, depression and acceptance. The accident has roiled the lives of so many people. In this case, there are videos circulated everywhere. This makes it even more difficult for the families,” Parekh said, who was among the first responders at the crash site on the day of the tragedy.
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In the aftermath of the crash, relatives of the deceased were unable to accept what had happened for the first two days, Parekh shared. “They wanted to see the bodies for themselves. They had hope that their relatives might have survived. That hope and anger must be managed professionally,” she said, adding that over a dozen psychiatrists have been roped in for counselling.
Parekh said that grief counsellors like her are stationed at three locations: The first is where relatives provide blood samples for DNA matching with the remains found from the crash site; the second is the hospital superintendent’s office where relatives are informed after a DNA match is confirmed; and the third is the mortuary, where authorities hand over the body over to their kin.
The doctor underscored the need for counselling during the various stages of recovering the victims’ bodies. “We have seen that the families are tired and want the bodies at the earliest. Professional counselling is needed when families are told that the DNA samples matched and they have to come and receive the confirmation papers. It is also needed before the body is finally handed to them. During the time when authorities are preparing the body for handing it over, the grief counsellors are counselling the families,” she added.
While recounting her experiences, Parekh said she faced her most challenging counselling session on Sunday morning. “How do you break the news to a 7-year-old that his DNA has matched with his father and that his father is no more?” she said. “I am also worried about those who have now developed a fear of flying because of what they have seen.”