Surat:
An explosive blast at the Ras Laffan LNG gas plant in Qatar has claimed the lives of 12 Indian nationals, including a young man from Surat. The victim, Sunny Patel, was a resident of Mota Mohalla in the Dumas area of Surat.
For more than 48 hours, his family waited desperately for any news regarding his whereabouts. The wait ended when his brother, Ravi Patel, who is also in Qatar, identified Sunny’s body, shattering the family’s final hopes.
Efforts are now underway with the assistance of the Indian Embassy to bring his body back to India. Family members said the body is expected to arrive in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
Sunny was employed as a mechanical fitter at the facility and was scheduled to report for the night shift on the day of the incident.
Shortly before leaving for work, he spoke to his wife, Pinkalben, over the phone. He told her he was heading for his shift and would speak to her later. It turned out to be their final conversation.
When news of the explosion emerged, his wife repeatedly tried to contact him by phone and video calls, but received no response.
This loss deals a devastating blow to a family already well-acquainted with grief. Sunny’s father passed away nearly 15 years ago, followed shortly by the death of his eldest brother. The financial burden of the household fell squarely on Sunny and his brother Ravi, who both made the difficult decision to move abroad to support their ageing mother, sister-in-law, and Sunny’s wife.
Just a year ago, the family had begun converting their mud house into a permanent concrete home, a dream the two brothers were funding through exhausting days of labour in Qatar.
Sunny had moved to Qatar only seven months ago, hoping to build a more secure future for his family.
His death has cast a pall of grief over the neighbourhood in Surat, where relatives and residents are preparing to receive his body and perform the final rites.
