Air India flight crash:Counsellors present assist to grieving households

By 7pm, Parekh, an assistant professor on the similar school with a Doctor of Medicine (MD) in Psychiatry, was counselling kinfolk of passengers on board the flight on the medical school in Ahmedabad. The 32-year-old is now among the many group of grief counsellors roped within the by the state well being division for counselling households affected by the crash.

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The Gujarat authorities, on Saturday, introduced that grief counsellors have been assigned to households to assist them take care of the psychological trauma. The transfer comes two days after AI-171 crashed seconds after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai International Airport in Ahmedabad on June 12, killing 241 out of 242 individuals on board, marking India’s worst single-aircraft tragedy.

More than 72 hours after the crash, at the same time as officers of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) are conducting a probe into the crash; forensic knowledgeable are working to match over 200 DNA samples from the our bodies of the deceased; and crematoriums are being readied for mass funeral, the grief counsellors are at work in numerous places throughout the BJ Medical College complicated.

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Parekh spoke to HT concerning the counselling periods that greater than 1,000 kinfolk affected by the tragedy are taking whereas they watch for the authorities to determine the charred our bodies, permitting them to conduct the ultimate rites. Until Sunday night, authorities had efficiently recognized 86 our bodies by means of DNA matching.

“There are five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargain, depression and acceptance. The accident has roiled the lives of so many people. In this case, there are videos circulated everywhere. This makes it even more difficult for the families,” Parekh mentioned, who was among the many first responders on the crash web site on the day of the tragedy.

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In the aftermath of the crash, kinfolk of the deceased had been unable to simply accept what had occurred for the primary two days, Parekh shared. “They wanted to see the bodies for themselves. They had hope that their relatives might have survived. That hope and anger must be managed professionally,” she mentioned, including that over a dozen psychiatrists have been roped in for counselling.

Parekh mentioned that grief counsellors like her are stationed at three places: The first is the place kinfolk present blood samples for DNA matching with the stays discovered from the crash web site; the second is the hospital superintendent’s workplace the place kinfolk are knowledgeable after a DNA match is confirmed; and the third is the mortuary, the place authorities hand over the physique over to their kin.

The physician underscored the necessity for counselling in the course of the numerous phases of recovering the victims’ our bodies. “We have seen that the families are tired and want the bodies at the earliest. Professional counselling is needed when families are told that the DNA samples matched and they have to come and receive the confirmation papers. It is also needed before the body is finally handed to them. During the time when authorities are preparing the body for handing it over, the grief counsellors are counselling the families,” she added.

While recounting her experiences, Parekh mentioned she confronted her most difficult counselling session on Sunday morning. “How do you break the news to a 7-year-old that his DNA has matched with his father and that his father is no more?” she mentioned. “I am also worried about those who have now developed a fear of flying because of what they have seen.”