OLDS – An Olds resident and his business partner have relatives in Ahmedabad, the city in northwestern India where on June 12, an Air India plane bound for London, England crashed shortly after takeoff.
The plane slammed into a medical college hostel, killing 241 people passengers and crew and at least 29 people on the ground. One passenger survived.
Raj Tarpara, who owns and operates Olds Community Pharmacy, lived in that city for about three years while studying.
He found out about the crash early in the morning and immediately phoned his brother who lives there.
“I phoned when I woke up in the morning,” he said during an interview with the Albertan. “I saw it in the news, right? So I phoned him right away, and he said, ‘no, they're OK.’
“He was not near anywhere there at that time because he works at the different site. He doesn't go in that area as usual.”
Tarpara said his brother lives about 15 kilometres from the crash site.
Tarpara’s business partner, Mehul Patel, is actually from Ahmedabad. His parents still live there. Tarpara said Patel contacted them and “they’re fine.”
Tarpara feels very badly for all those who lost family in that crash.
“It was so tragic,” he said.
