Ahmedabad: A UK-based Gujarati couple, Roger David Christian and his wife, Rachna Roger Christian, were among those killed in the Air India plane crash.
The couple, hailing from Ahmedabad, had been residing in London for the past five years.
According to family sources, Roger was the son of David Christian, a retired officer from the state’s Irrigation Department.
Before settling in the UK, Roger had spent five years in New Zealand. He married Rachna in 2013, and the two were said to be leading a happy life abroad until the tragedy struck.
Relatives shared that the couple had recently flown to Ahmedabad to care for Roger’s mother, who had undergone hip replacement surgery.
“They came to be by her side and help her recover. It was meant to be a short trip home, one of care, love, and duty,” a grieving family member said.
“Now they are gone forever,” the family member said.
The ill-fated flight crashed into the BJMC Boys’ Hostel in Meghaninagar shortly after takeoff, bursting into flames and killing almost everyone on board. Investigations are ongoing into the cause of the crash.
The family is currently awaiting confirmation through DNA testing to recover the couple’s remains.
Civil Hospital authorities have been collecting DNA samples from relatives, and the bodies will be released once matches are confirmed.
As of now, five bodies have been identified and respectfully handed over to their families. These include two victims from Rajasthan, two from Bhavnagar, and one from Madhya Pradesh.
Civil Hospital officials confirmed that DNA samples have been collected from 192 families so far.
To support the identification process, a large team of 70 to 80 doctors, from Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Anand, and Nadiad, has been working around the clock, conducting post-mortem examinations since Thursday evening.
(IANS)
