Grieving Husband Killed In Ahmedabad Plane Crash While Fulfilling Wife's Final Wish

Last Updated:June 13, 2025, 14:19 IST

The couple have two children, aged four and eight, who stayed at home in the UK and are now mourning the deaths of both their parents in the space of a week.

Grieving Husband Killed In Ahmedabad Plane Crash While Fulfilling Wife's Final Wish. (X)

The tragic Ahmedabad plane crash incident has left a trail of grief and devastation, with numerous untold and heart-wrenching stories emerging. One such poignant tale is that of a grieving husband who had embarked on a journey to fulfil a promise to his late wife. 

Father-of-two Arjun Patolia had flown to India to scatter her ashes in a sacred place, and was returning to London when fate had other plans. He was heading home to the UK on Air India flight AI-171 after visiting a village in Gujarat to hold a funeral and immerse his late wife Bharatiben’s floral urn in a local river.

Tragically, he died after the doomed Gatwick-bound Air India flight AI-171 carrying 242 passengers, including 53 British nationals, crashed just moments after take-off.

The couple have two children, aged four and eight, who stayed at home in the UK and are now mourning the deaths of both their parents in the space of a week.

Patolia’s wife, Bharatiben, had passed away just seven days prior in London. Her final wish had left a lasting impact on her loved ones – she had expressed a desire to have her ashes taken back to her home state in India. This heartfelt request had brought Patolia to India, as he sought to honour his wife’s last wish and find some solace in fulfilling her dying desire.

The Narmada River runs through the Amreli region and is a sacred river in Hinduism, ranked second in sanctity only after the Ganges. 

The 12-year-old Boeing 787-8 aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 1338 hrs, carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew. The aircraft crashed shortly after take-off. Out of the 242 aboard, there are 241 confirmed fatalities. The sole survivor is being treated in a hospital.

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