‘He called our mother that morning…’: Air India crew member Deepak Pathak, who died in Ahmedabad plane crash, cremated

Air India crew member Deepak Pathak, who died in Ahmedabad plane crash on June 12, was cremated on Saturday at a Badlapur crematorium in the presence of thousands of mourners.

Tears rolled down the faces as the coffin arrived at his residence in Rawal Complex on Ambernath-Badlapur Road.

His body was handed over to his family members after a nine-day-long identification process, confirmed through DNA testing.

34-year-old Pathak, who had been serving the national carrier for the past 11 years, was among the crew members aboard the ill-fated London-bound flight AI-171, carrying 242 passengers.

Pathak’s large portrait accompanied the coffin, standing as a silent tribute as mourners offered floral respects.

The funeral procession witnessed an overwhelming turnout.

Deepak Pathak’s family

Deepak Pathak was the third of the five siblings and had got married four years ago. He is survived by his elderly parents, wife, and two married sisters.

His family members recalled that he had shared his photos on social media just before the flight took off from the Ahmedabad international airport.

“He called our mother that morning and just said ‘good morning’. That was the last time we heard his voice,” his sister had said. “We couldn’t speak often because of our schedules, but my mother and I would always talk about him.”

In the last few days, the last rites of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, pilot in command of the Air India plane, cabin supervisor Shradha Dhavan, senior crew member Aparna Mahadik, and crew member Maithili Patil – all from Maharashtra- were conducted in their respective hometowns.

Process to ascertain identity of victims continues

Nine days after the Ahmedabad plane crash, the process to identify several victims is still underway as the authorities have asked eight families to submit the DNA sample of another relative as the previous ones failed to match.

Since many of the bodies were burnt beyond recognition or damaged otherwise, authorities are carrying out DNA tests to establish the identity of victims of the horrific tragedy.

Until Friday, DNA samples of 231 deceased have been matched and 210 bodies handed over to families.