Nearly two months after the tragic crash of Air India Flight 171, several British families are only now getting the chance to bury their loved ones. The flight, which crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad on June 12, claimed the lives of all 241 passengers, including 53 British nationals.
Recently, over 300 friends, relatives, and members of the Gujarati community in London gathered in Wembley to remember some of the victims during a prayer and memorial ceremony.
A Son’s Painful Farewell
Miten Patel, who lost both his parents in the crash, stood before the crowd wearing his father’s emerald ring, one of the few items recovered from the wreckage. His parents, Ashok and Shobhana Patel, were returning to their home in Orpington, Kent, after a spiritual trip to India when the tragedy struck.
Although the crash occurred in June, their funeral was delayed due to a disturbing discovery additional human remains were found in his mother’s coffin.
Remains Mix-Up Delays Closure
Miten shared how he and his family learned about the error. “My parents were the first ones repatriated in the UK,” he said. He explained that after organising the transport of his parents’ bodies and flying out to Ahmedabad, a CT scan was performed once the remains arrived in the UK.
“The CT scan showed that with mum’s remains, there were further remains there too. I don’t know what they were. I don’t know how many.”
Despite the grief, hundreds attended the funeral of Ashok, a financial adviser, and Shobhana, a retired microbiologist. As the eldest son, Miten took charge of the farewell. However, the incident involving the remains added emotional strain to the process.
“I think there should be a level of responsibility taken. Why did that happen? Where was the flaw in that process?” Miten questioned. “I do understand that people were rushing and tired. To collect all the remains and then separate them by DNA is a long process. But for us as loved ones, it is very upsetting.”
Indian Government Responds
Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the Indian government, addressed the issue earlier. He said, “We are working closely with the UK side from the moment these concerns and issues were brought to our attention.”
He added, “In the wake of the tragic crash, the concerned authorities had carried out identification of victims as per established protocols and technical requirements. All mortal remains were handled with utmost professionalism and with due regard for the dignity of the deceased.”
Jaiswal confirmed that cooperation with UK authorities is ongoing to resolve any remaining concerns.
Another Family Devastated
Komal Patel, another UK resident, lost her younger brother Sunny Patel and his wife Monali in the crash. Komal first heard about the accident through a phone call from a family member who had seen news reports. She had just been texting Sunny and Monali, unaware of the disaster.
There was only one flight from Ahmedabad to London that day. Realizing the worst, Komal and her cousin Jina flew to India to help identify her brother’s remains.
“Because we weren’t really allowed to see the body, I don’t think I’ve really come to terms with it,” Komal said in her first interview since the crash. “I still think I’m dreaming and it’s not really real.”
Young Lives Lost Too Soon
Sunny and Monali were both in their 30s and had been preparing to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary. Komal described them as the “light” and “soul” of their family.
“They were just really fun, exciting, really lived life, just made memories, just made everyone really happy,” she said.
The couple had postponed their return flight by a week. Komal remembers how their energy filled every room, especially around her children. “They were like the heart of my kids. Whenever they walked into a room, they just filled up the room with laughter and happiness.”
Their cousin Jina echoed the same emotions. “It has just been very traumatic, very, very sad for us, losing Sunny and Monali at 39 years old,” she said. “They were full of life and brought so much light into our family.”
Final Goodbyes and Ongoing Grief
The family held a joint funeral for Sunny and Monali two weeks ago. Like many other grieving families, they are still trying to rebuild after such an immense loss.
“As a family, we’re devastated at why two people so young, with so much energy, who brought so much into our families have just sort of gone in one day,” Jina said.
