Filmmaker missing after Ahmedabad plane crash; kin fear he may be among ground victims

Ahmedabad: The family of a filmmaker have given DNA samples after he went missing following the Air India plane crash here last week and his mobile phone location was last traced to just 700 metres away from the accident site.

The London-bound aircraft crashed into the campus of a medical college in Meghaninagar, moments after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:39 pm on June 12, killing 241 out of the 242 persons on board and 29 on the ground.

Naroda-resident Mahesh Kalawadia, also known as Mahesh Jirawala, directs music albums and went to meet someone in Law Garden area that afternoon, his wife Hetal said.

"My husband called me at 1:14 pm to tell me his meeting is over and that he is on his way home. However, when he did not return, I called up on his phone but it was switched off. After police were intimated, the last location of his mobile phone showed he was 700 metres away from the crash site," she said.

"His phone got switched off around 1:40 pm (a minute after the ill-fated flight took off). His scooter and mobile phone are missing. All this is unusual since he would never use that route (as per the last location) to come home. We have submitted DNA samples to check if he was one of those killed on the ground due to the crash," Hetal added.

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.

Authorities here on Sunday confirmed the identification of 47 victims through DNA matching.