Joy Turns Into Grief: Soon-To-Be-Parents Were On Doomed London Flight
Vaibhav Patel (29) and Jinal Goswami (27) were soon going to be parents to their first child. Jinal was seven months pregnant, and the final couple of months were nothing less than a mix of excitement and anxiety.
The couple's families also couldn't wait to celebrate and welcome a new member onboard. There was a strong urge to prepare the nest for the little one's arrival. On June 2, they celebrated Jinal's baby shower with a traditional ceremony and intimate gathering.
But their joy soon turned into grief. On Monday, Vaibhav and Jinal were cremated amid hue and cry.
The couple were among the 274 victims of the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad on June 12. They belonged to Keliya Vasna village of Dholka tehsil but lived in London and even recently moved to Southampton in Hampshire. They had travelled to Ahmedabad for Jinal's baby shower and were scheduled to return to London via flight AI 171 that ultimately crashed minutes after take-off.
Friends and relatives close to the two families said a baby shower was held for Jinal on June 2, with a traditional ceremony and an intimate gathering, comprising close friends and relatives. The anxious long days of never ending wait was soon to be over.
The couple's close friend Nirav Patel told the BBC that they were very happy and excited for the birth of their first child. "Vaibhav did not have a father, so he was the big son supporting the family back in India," he said.
"He had rung me two days before the flight to tell me he was coming home. We were very good friends and had so much fun together... many trips around India, like to Goa or Rajasthan. This is a massive loss," he added.
Only an idol of Lord Krishna, which friends and families claimed was held by Jinal at the time of the flight, has so far been recovered from the crash site.
There were 242 people - 230 passengers, two pilots and 10 crew members - onboard the aircraft that crashed into a medical college seconds after taking off for London Gatwick Airport from Ahmedabad. Of these, only one - an Indian-origin British national - survived the crash. Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was among the victims.
Several people on the ground were also killed in the incident.
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