Some leave scarred campus, others wait

A day after the world's worst air tragedy in a decade scarred BJ Medical College, there was an eerie silence engulfing the campus of Gujarat's oldest medical college.

- Prawesh Lama, Ateeq Shaikh, Shruti Tomar and Mukesh Mathrani

AHMEDABAD/BARMER/INDORE/BARMER: The hostel complex was shut, exams were postponed, and survivors of the crash — students, professors, staff, and family members — were seen walking out with luggage in tow.

The compound bore the brunt of the AI-171 crash on Thursday afternoon as parts of the jet rammed into a dining hall. Some other buildings, tall dark grey structures with a modern facade, bore visible damage. Smoke stains scarred parts of the exterior, while several upper-floor windows were shattered. Scorched trees lined the area, their branches blackened from the fireball after the crash.

"I went to the Swami Narayan temple at night and had my meal there. By around midnight, my father reached Ahmedabad and took me back to our home in Rajkot. There are many like me, who have returned home for the time being," said Harsh Chotaliya, a 19-year-old medical student.

Second-year resident doctor Tarun, who bore injuries, said he had to jump from his balcony because of the fireball. "That's how I survived. We are not going home right now. We will go wherever we get accommodation... We did not even have the essentials with us..."

Assistant professor Piyush recounted his narrow escape. "I escaped from the building and then jumped over the boundary wall in front. That's how I got a sprain. If I had waited for 15-20 seconds inside more, I would have died of asphyxiation... Many people lived inside with their families," he said.