Air India airplane crash: Heart-wrenching story of Abdhiben Patel, who did not wish to depart her son behind in Britain

Jun 16, 2025 10:42 AM IST

Abdhiben Patel was purported to return to work on Saturday. She had provided to complete her work job remotely, a day earlier than the crash.

Heart-wrenching tales are rising day-after-day as households, associates, and colleagues of the victims of the Air India airplane crash in Ahmedabad are coming to phrases with the loss of life of their family members. One such story is of Abdhiben Patel, 40, who reluctantly left her son in Britain to go to her ailing mom in Gujarat and have become a sufferer of the deadline crash that killed not less than 270 individuals, together with 241 passengers and crew.

Abdhiben Patel together with her son, Meer.

Patel’s shut good friend and colleague at Zone Beauty Studio in Northampton instructed PA media that the girl did not wish to depart her son behind for the primary time. 

She had flown to India simply two weeks earlier to take care of her aged mom, however was hesitant to make the journey and depart her eight-year-old son behind. “She didn’t want to go,” mentioned Atif Karim, 45.

The man mentioned the girl had instructed him that she did not wish to be away from her son, because it was her first time leaving him alone. She was very nervous.

“She wasn’t excited,” he added. “It was a sense of duty. Her mum was unwell, but you could tell it was weighing on her.” Mr Karim, a father of two, mentioned current tensions between India and Pakistan, which led to flight cancellations and uncertainty, had added to Patel’s worries.

“All the flights were getting cancelled. It didn’t feel like the right time.”

He mentioned she used to handle her son, Meer, as a result of her husband, Pankaj, labored evening shifts.

“She stored saying how shy and reserved he’s, how hooked up they have been,” he added.

“She was dedicated to him – her complete world revolved round him,” he added.

Patel was purported to return to work on Saturday. She had provided to complete her work job remotely, a day earlier than the crash.

“She said, ‘Do you want me to finish that?’ and later, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll sort it,’” he mentioned. “That was the last I heard.”

Also learn: Passenger on seat 11A survived Air India crash, says bother began 30 seconds into flight

Abdhiben Patel is from Gujarat. She moved to the UK in 2012 and started working on the salon in 2016. She had change into the supervisor of the salon. Her colleagues described her as a diligent, dependable employee.

“Yesterday, we had people coming in and crying their eyes out.” Inside the salon, he mentioned the temper has modified, Mr Karim mentioned. “There’s no music playing anymore,” he mentioned.

His son and husband are in India now.

Air India crash

The Air India airplane got here crashing down seconds after takeoff. 241 individuals on board and not less than 29 on the bottom died within the accident.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner had crashed right into a residential space shortly after take-off, killing 241 individuals on board and not less than 29 on the bottom. Only one passenger – a 40-year-old British man – survived.