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Time of India

Tragedy in the sky: Anand's families shattered as London-bound dreams end in flames

1 2 3 4 5 6 For 33 passengers from Gujarat's NRI-rich Anand district, a journey that began with dreams of reunion and joy turned into a heartbreaking tragedy. Among the victims of Thursday's Air India crash near Ahmedabad airport were grandparents eager to hold their grandchildren, elderly couples hoping to spend time with their sons abroad, and first-time flyers making lifelong dreams come true. First flight, final journey: Salma was going to help her daughter give birth Grief has replaced celebration in the home of 53-year-old Salma Razak Vohra, a resident of Balapir Society in Umreth town, Anand. Salma was a mother of three. Her two daughters live in London, and just ten days ago, her son had joined them on a student visa. She had been granted a six-month visitor visa and was counting down the days to be with her eldest daughter for the birth of her grandchild. "She was overjoyed. It was her first time flying, and she was so eager to be there for the delivery," said her husband, Razak Vohra. "We accompanied her to the airport in Ahmedabad to see her off. On our way back to Umreth, our car had a flat tyre. While we were waiting for it to be fixed, we suddenly saw thick smoke and flames in the sky. Moments later, the phone started ringing — relatives were calling to say the flight she boarded had crashed. " Elderly couple were on their way to meet sons Shashikant Raoji Patel (75) and his wife Shobhna (73) had spent the last decade in their native village, Bharoda, cherishing a peaceful retired life. Their sons, well-settled in London for over two decades. Financially secure through their ventures in surgical medicines and the tobacco trade in Kolkata, the couple frequently visited their sons abroad. "They left at 7 am for the airport," recalled Arvind Patel, Shashikant's younger brother. "They called the driver after boarding and told him to return. Everything seemed normal. Then, we got the terrible news." The family rushed to Ahmedabad but couldn't recognize the couple's bodies. "We had no choice but to submit our DNA samples. It's devastating," he said, his voice heavy with grief. Grandfather wanted to play with his granddaughter In Ramnagar, another village in Anand district, the Vaghela household mourns the loss of 60-year-old Mahendra Vaghela, a grandfather who never got to meet the newest member of his family. "His visa had been rejected once," said his brother Pankaj Vaghela. "But when it finally got approved just two days before the flight, he was overjoyed. Mahendra's wife had already reached London a few days earlier. Mahendra was so overjoyed about meeting his newborn granddaughter that he spent the entire evening before his flight shopping — carefully picking out gifts until 11 pm on Wednesday. "He couldn't stop smiling," recalled his brother. "Every person he met—relatives, neighbours, even shopkeeper s— he told them proudly that his long-awaited dream of visiting London was finally coming true. " But that joy was short-lived. Just hours later, the devastating news of the plane crash shattered those dreams, and the entire family rushed to Ahmedabad in disbelief and anguish. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .