‘Saw you on TV, be safe doctor...’: Actor Bala’s emotional message to Elizabeth Udayan after Air India crash

Ahmedabad: In the wake of the devastating Air India plane crash near Ahmedabad that claimed many lives, actor Bala took to social media to express his condolences and share a heartfelt message believed to be directed toward his former partner, Dr. Elizabeth Udayan.

Bala wrote, “My deepest condolences for the great loss...Saw you on TV, be safe doctor.” Though he did not name anyone directly, social media users quickly connected the message to Dr. Udayan, a postgraduate medical student who survived the crash.

Dr. Elizabeth Udayan, a second-year PG student at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, later confirmed through her social media that she was safe. However, she revealed that many of her colleagues and MBBS students had died or were injured in the crash.

“I am safe, but many of our colleagues and MBBS students died and were injured. Please pray for them,” she wrote in a video posted on her YouTube channel.

The Air India flight crashed on Thursday afternoon, minutes after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Airport. The aircraft came down in a densely populated residential area of Meghaninagar, tragically crashing into a hostel building connected to a nearby medical college.

Elizabeth said she was alerted about a “mass casualty” incident by her hospital around 2 pm. At that moment, she had no idea it was a plane crash. Since the crash site was about a kilometre from the hospital, she didn’t hear the noise.

“Later, I found out that the plane had crashed at the hostel. Many people were missing. The bodies were in a charred state. Identification is only possible through DNA testing,” she added.