‘Tied hands with wet clothes to lift bodies’: SDRF officer on Air India crash rescue | VIDEO

Ahmedabad (Gujarat): In the wake of the tragic Air India crash in Ahmedabad, a senior official from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has shared chilling details of the rescue operation. Sheetal Gujar, SDRF Assistant Superintendent of Police and nodal officer for the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), described the perilous conditions under which the team entered the wreckage of the hostel building struck by the aircraft.

Gujar explained that the team equipped themselves with oxygen masks and wrapped wet cloths around their hands to handle the bodies of those badly burned in the incident. He also asserted that they received all the tools necessary to carry out the rescue operations.

"SDRF played a significant role in evacuating those trapped inside the building. We went inside with oxygen masks. The hands and feet of many got burned, but to rescue them, we tied our hands with wet clothes to lift their bodies. We received 20-30 extra ambulances within just half an hour," he said.

The London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft crashed into a hostel complex shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12, killing 241 passengers and crew, including former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.

Describing the scene at the time of impact, Gujar said the temperature in the building was extremely high, making rescue efforts highly dangerous.

"At that time, it was very risky to go inside and carry out the rescue operations as the temperature was very high. The fire department made arrangements for our team to go inside the building. We evacuated the civilians and students inside the hostel. The injured were immediately rushed to the hospital. All the senior officials were in touch with us. We recovered the bodies of all the victims," the SDRF ASP said.

He further stated that ensuring the safety of citizens and preventing further damage remained the SDRF's top priority.

"70-80 per cent of the operations are carried out by the SDRF. We also aim to secure the area to make sure that further damage does not take place," Sheetal Gujar said.

ANI