India, June 14 -- A day after the world's worst air tragedy in a decade scarred BJ Medical College, an eerie silence engulfed the campus of Gujarat's oldest medical college. The hostel complex was shut, exams were postponed, and survivors of the crash - students, professors, staff, and family members - were seen walking out of the campus with luggage in tow.

The compound bore the brunt of the AI-171 crash on Thursday afternoon as parts of the jet rammed into a dining hall. Some other buildings, tall dark grey structures with a modern facade, bore visible damage. Smoke stains scarred parts of the exterior, while several upper-floor windows were shattered. Scorched trees lined the area, their branches blackened from the fireball that follo...