On Thursday afternoon, June 12, the Thakur family was doing what they did every day — serving home-cooked meals to students and resident doctors at BJ Medical College (BJMC). But their lives were shaken when Air India Flight AI-171 plummeted into the BJMC hostel.

As per a report by The Print, 55-year-old Sarla Ben and her two-year-old granddaughter were inside the mess hall, feeding students. Since then, no one has seen them.

For nearly 24 hours, the family has been scouring the campus where they’ve worked for years. 

“Pura parivar ujhad gaya... Kya hoga maa aur beti ke bina? (The family has been destroyed. What will we do without mother and daughter?)” said Ravi Bhai Thakur, Sarla’s son and the toddler’s father, speaking to The Print.

The Thakurs run a small tiffin service that supplies meals to the doctors and students of BJMC, a job they’ve done with pride for years. On Thursday, Sarla Ben brought her granddaughter with her to deliver lunch to the hostel mess, as she often did.

“She never left her behind. Feeding people was her duty, and she took the little one everywhere,” said Suresh, Sarla’s son-in-law.

Around the same time, inside the mess hall, students and doctors were eating their meals. Some still held their plates. Seconds later, flames and metal engulfed the building. Images from the site show charred lunch trays among the debris.

A family waiting in limbo

With the bodies of most victims burned beyond recognition, authorities have turned to DNA testing. The Thakur family, comprising five members, has given their samples and now faces an agonising 72-hour wait.

“We’ve posted their pictures. We’ve asked everyone. We’ve waited. But no one can tell us if they’re alive or gone,” Ravi said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated that nearly 1,000 samples would be required to identify the victims.

More than just a plane crash

The Air India Dreamliner had barely taken off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport when it crashed into BJMC’s residential quarters and hostel, killing 241 of 242 people on board.

But it wasn’t just passengers who died. Ground casualties, like the Thakurs, have been overlooked in official counts.

This tragedy has scarred BJMC deeply. Among the confirmed dead are resident doctors, five medical students, and civilians like Sarla and her granddaughter.

“We built our lives around this college,” said Uma Ben, Sarla’s daughter, and added, “She wasn’t just a cook. She was part of this place.”

The family says they’ve received no information, only instructions to wait.