Vadodara dispatches 50 coffins for victims of Ahmedabad’s AI 171 plane crash
Updated: Jun 15th, 2025
Following the Ahmedabad plane crash, coffins are being prepared in Vadodara to hand over the deceased passengers and other victims to their families. The airline informed local artisans, who have now started making the coffins.
Out of the 100 coffins requested, 50 have already been completed, of which 35 were sent to Ahmedabad at 8 pm on Thursday night.
Nelvin Rajwadi, who is overseeing the work at the Hill Memorial School compound in Fatehgunj area, said, “I received a call from Air India instructing me to prepare coffins. Since I also work as a driver, I had gone to Uttar Pradesh to transport a dead body, and after returning three days later, I was entrusted with this major responsibility.”
He added, “Around 10 am, I received another call saying 100 coffins were needed and delivered as quickly as possible. So, I, my son, and eight other people started working on them. So far, we have completed around 50 coffins. It takes about two to three hours to make one coffin.”
Rajwadi explained that each coffin is lined with plastic to prevent any fluid leakage from the deceased that could pose a health hazard. Along with the plastic lining, a shroud (kafan) is also placed inside.
He added, “This incident has claimed lives across religions—Hindus, Muslims, and Christians. It is heartbreaking to make coffins for such a tragedy. We are doing this work with a heavy heart.”
He further recalled, “The last time we had to make coffins in such large numbers was during the 2001 Kutch earthquake. At that time, we had prepared and sent 40 coffins after an Air Force building collapsed, causing mass casualties.”
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