Air India Plane Crash: How a Mother’s Love Saved Her Eight-Month-Old Infant Twice

For eight-month-old Dhyaansh, his mother didn’t just give him life — she saved it not once, but twice.

In the aftermath of the devastating Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad on June 12, Manisha Kacchadiya became a symbol of maternal courage. As the Boeing 787-8 aircraft crashed into the BJ Medical College residential quarters and erupted into flames, she shielded her son with her own body.

Dhyaansh, now the youngest survivor of the crash, owes his life to his mother’s instinctive and heroic act.

At the time of the tragedy, Dhyaansh’s father, Kapil Kacchadiya — a super-specialty MCh student in Urology at BJ Medical College — was on hospital duty.

As the plane crashed, a massive fireball erupted, resulting in the atmospheric temperature going as high as 1,0000C.

Manisha’s only thought was to save her child. Clutching Dhyaansh tightly, she ran through thick smoke and searing flames. Both mother and son sustained serious burns.

Manisha suffered 25% burns on her face and hands. Dhyaansh endured 36% burns across his face, both arms, chest, and abdomen.

They were rushed to KD Hospital, where Dhyaansh was admitted to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). The infant required ventilator support, fluid resuscitation, blood transfusions, and round-the-clock specialised care.

In an act of extraordinary devotion, Manisha went on to donate her skin to aid her son’s recovery — a moment KD Hospital Managing Director Dr. Adit Desai called “deeply moving.”

Doctors say both Manisha and Dhyaansh have been recovering well. They also credited Kapil for playing a vital role in his son’s recovery — not just as a father, but as a medical professional who meticulously helped with wound dressings, even late at night.

After five weeks of intensive care and treatment, Manisha and Dhyaansh have finally been discharged — a story of survival, sacrifice, and the unbreakable bond between a mother and her child.

On the fateful day of June 12, Air India flight AI-171, en route to London Gatwick, crashed into the BJ Medical College complex just seconds after takeoff from the Ahmedabad International Airport. As many as 241 people on board the flight and 19 on the ground were killed in the tragedy.