Gold, Blood & Bedsheets:  How Ordinary People Responded to the Ahmedabad Plane Crash

By Khushi Arora 18 June 2025

On 12 June, Air India Express Flight AI 171 crashed into the BJ Medical College hostel in Ahmedabad.  Amid flames and fear, ordinary people stepped up — doing what they could to help those affected.

‘We didn’t think twice.’ Raju Patel, a construction businessman, was just minutes away when the crash happened. He and his team reached the site without waiting to be called.

They helped rescue the injured. From the ground, they picked up 70 tolas of gold (about 812 grams), Rs 80,000 in cash, documents, passports, and a burnt Gita — and handed everything to the police.

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With no stretchers available, Patel and others repurposed bedsheets and saris to carry the wounded to ambulances

No life left behind While rescue teams helped people, a few noticed animals trapped in the rubble — some limping, others paralysed with shock.

Darshana Animal Welfare responded quickly. They gave food, medicine, and stayed until the dogs and birds were safe or taken in for care.

A forest of memory in Madurai In Tamil Nadu, engineer Cholan Kubendran and his team felt the loss deeply. They planted 270 native saplings — each one dedicated to a person who didn’t make it home.

The saplings were planted near the Kodikulam tank. For Cholan and his team, it was a way to let something grow where so much had been taken away. Local residents will now care for them.

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900 units of blood in 8 hours An hour after the crash, volunteers from Sahaay, an Ahmedabad-based NGO, began calling for blood donors. And The Red Cross opened its office for the drive.

- Between 3 pm and 11 pm, 900 units of blood were collected — each one a quiet act of care. -- Over 200 volunteers worked through the day to keep things going. - Even the next morning, people kept walking in to donate.