Returning after performing wife's last rites, man dies in Air India flight crash
Babushahi Bureau
Ahmedabad (Gujarat), June 13, 2025: Tragedy has once again struck the family of Arjunbhai Manubhai Patoliya, a native of Vadiya village in Gujarat, who was among the passengers who lost their lives in the devastating Air India Flight AI171 crash on June 12, 2025. The ill-fated flight, which crashed shortly after takeoff, claimed at least 290 lives, leaving behind grief-stricken families across continents.
Arjunbhai had been living in London for several years with his wife and children. Just weeks ago, life took a heartbreaking turn when his wife passed away. In accordance with her final wish, Arjunbhai travelled back to India to perform her last rites in their hometown of Vadiya, leaving their two children temporarily in the care of loved ones in the UK.
Surrounded by mourning relatives, he completed traditional rituals, including the besnu, honoring her memory while coping with his own deep sorrow. Friends and villagers remember him walking with quiet dignity, carrying the weight of loss with remarkable strength.
With his duties fulfilled and heart heavy, Arjunbhai boarded Air India Flight AI171 on June 12 to return to London—to reunite with the children he and his late wife had lovingly raised.But the skies betrayed him.
The flight crashed within minutes of takeoff, leaving no chance for Arjunbhai to make it back to the family that had already endured so much. He never returned. His children now face the unbearable loss of both parents in just a matter of days.