In a devastating turn of events, two young sisters have been orphaned after their father was killed in the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, India, on Thursday, June 12, 2025. The tragedy struck as Arjun Patoliya was returning home to the UK after scattering his wife Bharti's ashes in Gujarat, fulfilling her final wish before she succumbed to cancer just weeks prior.
The Air India AI-171 flight, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London Gatwick, crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad airport, claiming the lives of 241 of the 242 people on board. The aircraft plummeted into a residential area near the airport, causing a massive explosion and widespread devastation. Only one passenger, a British national, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, survived the crash.
Arjun Patoliya had travelled to India to perform the last rites for his beloved wife, Bharatiben, who had recently passed away from cancer. In her final moments, she expressed her desire to have her ashes scattered in the sacred Narmada River in Gujarat. Arjun, a devoted husband and father, made the journey to honor her wishes, travelling to his wife's village in Amreli to carry out the ceremony.
After fulfilling his wife's last wish and performing the funeral rites with family members, Arjun boarded the ill-fated Air India flight to return home to his two daughters, aged four and eight. Tragically, he never made it back. The devastating news of the plane crash has left the two young girls without parents, their world shattered in a matter of weeks.
The incident has sent shockwaves through the community, with friends and family launching a fundraising campaign to support the orphaned sisters. The campaign aims to provide the children with "security, stability, and love in the years ahead," ensuring they have the resources they need to navigate this difficult chapter in their lives.
The Air India plane crash has not only brought immense grief to the Patoliya family but has also claimed the lives of many others, including families, professionals, and students. Among the victims were 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian. Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was also among those killed in the crash.
The crash has raised serious concerns about aviation safety, particularly regarding Boeing aircraft and Air India's safety record. This is after an Air India Express flight skidded off the runway in Kozhikode in 2020, killing 20 and another accident in Mangalore involving a 737-800 claimed 156 lives. Investigations are underway to determine the cause of the crash and prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.
