The Air India plane crash on June 12, 2025, has left a trail of devastation and grief in Ahmedabad, India. The crash claimed the lives of 241 people, including young students on their way to London on scholarships, families returning home from a wedding in Gujarat, and others visiting India for Eid. Sahil Patel, a 25-year-old who had won a visa lottery for a coveted two-year United Kingdom work visa, was among those killed.
For the Patel family, the news of Sahil’s death was a crushing blow. They had seen the visa as a chance for social mobility and a new life in London. Sahil’s father, Salim Ibrahim, asked, “Will they give him back to us in a closed box? I just … I cannot bear for anyone to see him like that. I want him to be brought home with dignity.” The visa that promised a new world to Sahil is now a worthless piece of paper.
The crash also claimed the life of Rakesh Deora, a second-year medical student who was killed by falling debris when the plane struck the medical college’s hostel. Irfan, a 22-year-old Air India cabin crew member, was another victim. His father collapsed against a wall, crying, “I have been religious my whole life. I gave to charity, I taught my son character … Why this punishment upon him? Why my child?” Irfan’s mother refused to believe her son was dead, screaming, “No! He promised he would see me when he got back. You’re lying. It’s not him.”
The Syed family, including Syed Inayat Ali, his wife Syed Nafisa Bano, and their two young children, Taskin Ali and Waqee Ali, were also on the plane. Nafisa was identified by a small gold pendant given to her by her husband. The family had been excited about their return to London after spending two months in India celebrating Eid al-Adha with their relatives.
Rickshaw driver Rajesh Patel was one of the lucky ones, albeit barely. He was waiting for his next customer near the crash site when the explosion’s brutal heat engulfed him in flames. He now lies in a critical care unit, fighting for his life. Tara Ben, a resident of the Meghaninagar neighbourhood near the crash site, ran out into the chaos and witnessed the devastation. She later said, “If it had fallen here, there would be no one left to count the bodies. God saved us, but he took so many others.”
Veteran rescue worker Tofiq Mansuri and his team worked tirelessly to recover the dead with dignity. Mansuri recalled the moment they found a small child, no more than two or three years old, her tiny body charred by the inferno. “We are trained for this, but how can you train for that?” he asked, his voice breaking. “To see a little girl … a baby … it just broke us. The spirits were gone. We were just men, carrying a child who would never go home.” Mansuri knows the sight will stay with him, saying, “I won’t be able to sleep for many nights”.
As the night deepened, relatives of the victims waited anxiously for news, some refusing to leave the hospital until they received information about their loved ones. A woman’s voice rose above the din, a sharp, piercing cry of accusation: “Air India killed him! Air India killed my only son!” She collapsed into a heap on the cold floor, surrounded by others struggling with their own grief.