'Unable To Sleep': 14 Days Later, Residents Around Ahmedabad Airport Still Gripped By Fear

The ground on which they stood shook suddenly - so did their homes. Windows and doors swung open as the Air India flight crashed just 20 metres away from their houses in Meghaninagar, Ahmedabad.

London-bound Air India flight AI-171, carrying 242 passengers and crew, crashed in Gujarat's Ahmedabad on June 12. Tragically, all but one passenger lost their lives, along with nearly 29 people on the ground, when the plane went down on the BJ Medical College hostel complex immediately after take-off.

Since June 12, the lives of the residents of the Gujarat Housing Board in Meghaninagar - who live in the vicinity of the Air India crash site - have changed forever. 

'Unable To Sleep'

The residents now live in perpetual fear, suffering full-blown panic attacks since the day of the crash. Hundreds of planes fly over their housing society every day to and from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad. Their houses lie directly in the flight path - every five minutes, a plane flies overhead. The sound and sight of aircraft were once part and parcel of daily life. That fateful day, however, the Air India flight had an unusual sound - and it was flying low.

First, it hit a tall tree inside the BJ Medical College hostel complex before crashing into the hostel mess and the Atulyam hostel blocks.

"We are scared. We want to be relocated somewhere else, or the planes should be flown via another route," say Kishanbhai and his wife Maniben. Kishanbhai is still nursing burn wounds, sustained while running in confusion and shock after the plane crashed.

Kishanbhai and Maniben

Sonalben, who lives on the third floor of the housing society with her husband and two sons, said, "I was making rotis when I heard a loud sound accompanied by my room shaking. The floor became extremely hot, and so did everything else. I ran out with my son, as my husband and the other son were out...Since then, I haven't been able to sleep. I tremble with fear every time a flight passes by."

In another building nearby, Birendra Trivedi, who works with Metro Rail, said, "There are more than 40 children in my building. Most of them start crying at night after hearing the sound of planes since the crash."

"Cargo planes make more noise," says Vikram Singh Parmar, who runs a grocery shop and has lived here since 1961. "It was an accident. It won't happen every day," he adds.

Vikram Singh Parmar with his mother at their grocery shop, near Ahmedabad airport.

Manubhai points to the view from the terrace of the ground-plus-two-floor housing building that overlooks the crash site. One could see debris clearance still underway. 

Flashbacks, Trauma

The psychological distress suffered by residents living near airports can't be cured quickly, according to medical experts. Living near a crash site can lead to intense distress, even among those not directly involved. The sense of safety is deeply shaken, especially when tragedy strikes so close to home.

"Constant exposure to the aftermath - sirens, debris, and the sound of planes - can trigger acute stress responses. Children may experience nightmares, fearfulness or disturbed sleep," said Dr Dhruv Raval, psychiatrist at VIMS Hospital, Ahmedabad. "People can experience flashbacks, emotional reactions in the form of panic attacks, excessive sweating, irritability, or loss of interest."

To cope, it's crucial to normalise emotional responses and seek community support. Community healing efforts - such as memorials or support circles - can also help foster collective resilience. "Mental health interventions like grief counselling, trauma-informed therapy, and peer support groups can help process fear and anxiety," says Dr Raval.

"Trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) may be helpful, especially for children, to process memories of traumatic events and rebuild a sense of safety."

Various government-run and private helplines have announced counselling numbers and are receiving calls from those affected directly by the plane crash. But there is a pressing need for outreach for the residents living near the crash site too.