‘Don't know if they're dead': Kin await news of loved ones after Air India plane crash

Hindustan Times

21 hours ago

New Delhi/Jaipur/Agra: A couple from Agra excited about their UK holiday. Two young British tourists celebrating the end of an exhilarating India tour. Two siblings headed for a summer trip. A family of five taking selfies moments before disaster struck.
These were among the people who perished on Thursday after the London-bound Air India flight they were on crashed 33 seconds after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport.
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The plane – a Boeing 787-8 dreamliner – rammed into a medical college hostel at 1.39pm on Thursday as thick plumes of black smoke billowed from the debris of AI 171.
'Her husband fainted after getting the news of her death in the plane crash. We can't believe that Khushboo is not with us anymore,' said Laxmikant Rajpurohit, uncle of Khusboo Rajpurohit, a resident of Balotra's Arara village
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Rajpurohit, 22, was going to visit her husband in London for the first time since their marriage in January. 'Her husband is a medical researcher in London. They got married in January. On Thursday, her father Madan Rajpurohit went to drop her at Ahmedabad airport where they also took a picture. Minutes after Madan left the airport and arrived at a local temple, the plane crashed and Madan got the news,' said Laxmikant.
London-based businessman Abhinav Parihar was also among those who died. 'We are in utter disbelief that Abhinav is no more. He was very excited to return to London and resume work after a months-long vacation. His parents went to Ahmedabad to collect the body now,' said Abhinav's cousin Kailash Parihar.
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Two siblings – Shubh Modi and Shagun Modi – the children of an established marble businessman in Udaipur, were headed for a summer trip in London. 'They were residents of Udaipur city only. The two were looking after their father's business after pursuing an MBA. After the incident, we paid a visit to the family. They are in shock,' said district collector Namit Mehta.
Two other victims from Udaipur were identified as Vardi Lal Chand, a resident of Vallabhnagar, and Prakash Minaria, a native of Rohida. 'Both used to work as chefs in a restaurant in London. They returned home on January 20 on a vacation and were all set to join back in London this week,' said collector Mehta.
Banswara-based doctor Koni Vyas, her husband Pradeep Joshi, and three minor children Pradyut Joshi, Nakul Joshi, and Miraya Joshi were also killed.
The long shadow of the deadly crash touched the sleepy town of Akola in Uttar Pradesh;s Agra district. Local resident Satish Lavania said his younger brother Neeraj Kumar Lavania and sister-in-law Aparna Lavania were on the ill-fated flight.
'Neeraj had called me on Thursday morning and informed me that he was in a cab on the way to Ahmedabad with Aparna because both were to board the flight for London. They were on a holiday tour and very excited but by evening, all changed,' said Satish Lavania.
Satish Lavania runs a shop in Akola. 'Neeraj comes once in a year to Akola and was last here in November 2024 when our father died and he came to attend last rites…Neeraj worked in the Netherlands for an IT firm.'
On Wednesday night, London-based Jamie Meek and Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek had shared a series of Instagram stories capturing their final night in India. Jamie reminisced about their 'mind-blowing' experiences, calling their time in India a 'magical experience' as he reflected on their journey. 'It's our last night in India,' he wrote. Jamie, who is also the director of The Wellness Foundry, a London-based centre for tarot and spiritual wellness, said spending their last night at the hotel and enjoying a traditional Gujarati thali was 'a perfect way to round up the trip'.
Raju Bhai Halani, a resident of Anand in Gujarat, told HT that his elder brother Badrundin Hasan Ali Halani and his wife Yasmin Badrudin Halani, and another sister-in-law Malekben Rajabali Halani were on board the ill-fated flight.
Badrudin is a former member of the Gujarat Waqf Board. He had posted photos of himself from inside the Air India flight earlier today. 'They were all going to London to meet their sons who work there,' said Raju Bhai, as he looked for them at the hospital in the evening.
'I do not know if they are dead or alive. We are looking for them,' he said, and added that he was in Vapi when he got a call from a cousin asking him if Badrudin was on this flight.