6 months on, families struggle with fallout of AI 171 crash

The fallout is pulling families back from the UK, leaving them to rebuild amid grief, mounting costs and visa troubles. At least 10 families have already returned. Hiren's mother Kailashben had been talking to him constantly from the airport, asking strangers for help with immigration through the video call.

"She would create halarda (lullaby) for my son and sing them," he said.

"All these memories flood back every time I think about that day." Hiren has moved to Surat with his wife Namrata and their three-year-old son Vaastu, abandoning seven years of life in London. Namrata, a former NHS employee, has opened a clinic. We dreamed of building a life in UK, but all that is lost now: Victim's wifeHiren Dayani, a clinical research scientist, is searching for work.

"I was months away from Indefinite Leave to Remain," he says. "But everything changed."Mike Andrews, an aviation lawyer with Beasley Allen Law Firm in US, who represents over 130 affected families, met survivors in Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Surat. He recounted how a family in Leicester lost its main earner and could no longer stay in Wembley. The widow and her three children - 17, 18 and 20 - moved to a cheaper neighbourhood.

The children quit school to work."There has been a fundamental shift in their life trajectory," Andrews said. "We've met many who moved to the UK seeking opportunities but are now returning to India because they simply cannot afford to remain."Among them is Mobbashera Vahora. Her husband Parvez and their four-year-old daughter Zuveriya died in the crash. Parvez held a full-time job with a major e-commerce company and worked part-time with multiple delivery platforms.

He supported his parents in India while trying to secure a future for his young family in East London.Mobbashera was pregnant when the crash happened. Her baby is now five months old. "We migrated for better prospects for our children," she said from her brother's home. "We dreamed of building a life there, but all of that is lost now." With UK immigration rules tightening, she sees no path back.For Harish Godhaniya from Devbhumi Dwarka, the decision was blunt.

"I have nobody there anymore," he said. He lost his wife Riddhi and three-year-old son Kriyansh. "What would I do there? We emigrated with dreams of a better life. That day took my whole world." He has not returned to work since coming home.The immigration struggle is sharpest for Mohammadmiya Mohammadasif Shethwala from Vadodara, who lost his wife Sadikabanu - the primary visa holder - and their daughter Fatima, who was born in the UK.

Mohammadmiya works with a logistics firm in Britain, but he must secure qualifying employment by Jan 26 to remain legally.His friend Yusuf said: "He came back for the last rites, but life in Vadodara was too painful. In the UK, at least he isn't confronted with memories constantly. But without a qualifying job by Jan, he'll have to return." They are appealing at every forum. "We have our fingers crossed," Yusuf added.Another family in Anand is battling a financial crunch. Their daughter - who held the primary visa - had taken a personal loan from a private bank two years earlier. After her death, they discovered the interest was still accruing. According to a member of the legal team, bank officials have assured a speedy resolution. One after another, stories across Gujarat trace the same arc - lives built slowly abroad collapsing overnight, savings gone, futures uncertain.It has been six months since the Ahmedabad-Gatwick flight carrying 242 people crashed - killing all 12 crew members and 229 of the 230 passengers. Nineteen more died on the ground. For their families, the worst is not behind them. They are still piecing together futures in a world where their most important hopes never made it off the runway.