AHMEDABAD: Five doctors and four of their family members were killed when the Air India flight AI171 crashed into the mess building of the BJ Medical College on Thursday afternoon.

The tragedy struck the heart of the medical fraternity.

More than 60 doctors and mess staff, including cooks, were inside when the aircraft tore through the structure, turning a normal lunch hour into a nightmare. Many junior doctors had just arrived at the mess for their lunch when disaster struck. Several were caught in the impact.

More than 32 were injured, some critically, and have since been shifted to private hospitals across the city, including Civil, Zydus, KD, and Apollo.

Among those who lost their lives was the pregnant wife of Dr Pradeep Solanki, a neurosurgeon from Civil Hospital. Mrs Solanki had been resting in their hostel room when the debris fell. Dr. Solanki, confined by grief, has remained inconsolable.

In another heart-wrenching loss, Dr Neelkanth, an onco-surgery student, lost not just one, but three family members, his mother, maternal uncle, and maternal aunt, who had come to visit.

The wreckage left behind more than just broken walls. For the survivors, the emotional toll is staggering. The next day, many doctors returned to salvage what little was left – laptops, clothes, books, bags, and personal items charred or buried under the debris.

Four buildings, Blocks 1 through 4, where doctors from UN Mehta, Civil, and the Cancer Department once lived and studied, were affected. But even amid loss, came another blow – evacuation.