Three days after the tragic crash of Air India flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad, the family of missing filmmaker Mahesh Kalawadia—also known as Mahesh Jirawala—has submitted DNA samples to authorities in a desperate attempt to identify him among the victims.
The flight, a London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed just moments after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:39 pm on Thursday. The aircraft slammed into a medical college campus in Meghaninagar, claiming the lives of 241 passengers and crew, as well as 29 people on the ground.
Kalawadia, a resident of Naroda and a known music album director, had gone to the Law Garden area for a meeting earlier that day. According to his wife, Hetal, he last contacted her at 1:14 pm, informing her that his meeting had concluded and he was heading home. However, he never arrived.
“When he didn’t return, I tried calling him, but his phone was switched off. Later, the police traced his last mobile location to an area just 700 metres from the crash site,” Hetal told reporters. “The phone switched off around 1:40 pm—just a minute after the flight took off. His scooter and phone are also missing, which is highly unusual as he never takes that route to return home.”
Fearing the worst, the Kalawadia family provided DNA samples for matching with the unidentified victims of the crash. Due to the intensity of the fire and explosion, many bodies were charred beyond recognition, making DNA profiling essential for confirming identities.
On Sunday, hospital authorities confirmed that 47 victims have been identified so far through DNA matching, and 24 of those bodies have been handed over to their families. The identification process continues for the remaining victims, with families like Kalawadia’s still anxiously awaiting news.