Two young girls have been left orphaned after their father was killed in the Air India plane crash just three weeks after their mother died of cancer.
Grief-stricken Arjunbhai Patoliya, 37, had flown from London to India to fulfil his late wife’s final wishes.
Bharatiben Patel, known as Bharti, 43, had asked for her ashes to be scattered in a river in the Indian village where they both grew up.
Mr Patoliya, a furniture designer, left their daughters, aged eight and four, in the care of his late wife’s sister to fly to Vadiya, Gujarat, to perform the ritual in her honour.
He was joined by friends and family, who described him “walking with quiet dignity, carrying the weight of loss with remarkable strength,” during the memorial earlier this week.
Ms Patel’s ashes are thought to have been scattered in the Narmada River, which is considered sacred among Hindus, who believe it purifies the soul.
A close friend and neighbour who did not want to be identified, said of Mr Patoliya: “He is just like my son.
“He was a nice person, a very nice person. It’s an accident. I don’t know what to say, I’m speechless, such a lovely neighbour. He was such a lovely character, he looked after me as well from time to time.
“His wife passed away from cancer, three weeks ago.”
She added: “The daughters are being looked after by their aunties very well, people say ‘orphan’ fair enough, no parents, but they are looked after by the auntie and uncle very well, very lovely people.”
Mr Patoliya had been returning home to his two children in north London on Thursday when he lost his life in the Air India tragedy.
The family had lived in the pebble-dashed semi-detached home on a quiet road in Edgware for around five years.
Mr Patoliya, who studied for an MBA at Liverpool John Moores University, is thought to have worked at the north London-based Inspired Elements Bespoke Furniture since 2018.
Just last year, he founded his own takeaway food company, called Khattameethalondon.
Friends had described Mr Patoliya and his wife as “the perfect couple” and described one of their young daughters as a “daddy’s girl”.
The neighbour added: “Arjunbhai is a very family person, active with the community, very active, he is a pure soul.
“They are a lovely couple, cute couple, they are both pure souls.”
Gesturing to the family home, she said “All the time is a happy family, I can hear them” before trailing off, too distraught to finish her sentence.
She added: “It is very very sad, tragic, unbelievable. I cried all night, I could not sleep.”
Another passenger onboard the Air India flight was also returning home following the death of a spouse.
Raxa Modha, 55, had flown to India with her daughter-in-law, Yasha Kamdar, and her two-year-old grandson to fulfil her late husband Kishor’s wish to live out his last days in his homeland.
The mother-of-three, who was returning to her home in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, had been in India for an extended period of time to support her husband while he battled an illness. Their son, Kishan Modha, was due to return to the UK on a later flight.
Some 52 Britons, 169 Indians, seven Portuguese and one Canadian national died in the crash.
Family starting their new life in UK
Smiling for the camera, this is the selfie a doctor took with his wife and children moments before they all died in the Air India crash.
Dr Prateek Joshi, a radiologist at Royal Derby Hospital, had flown to India just two days before Thursday’s crash to be reunited with his wife Dr Komi Vyas, their twin five-year-old sons, Nakul and Pradyut, and eight-year-old daughter Miraya.
He had worked for the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust for four years and was bringing his family back to the UK to join him, with a photo from the plane showing their excitement.
Sitting in their seats on the tarmac at Ahmedabad airport, minutes from take-off, Dr Joshi beams to the camera next to his wife of 10 years, who had recently given up her job at Pacific Hospital in Udaipur.
Their three children, sitting across the aisle, follow suit with huge grins on their faces.
Colleagues described Dr Joshi as always “full of joy” and said he “approached everything with a smile”, they added that he had discovered a love of fish and chips and walking in the peak district.
Stephen Posey, chief executive of the trust, said: ”We are privileged that Prateek chose to give his skills, talent and knowledge to the NHS, and he will be sorely missed by everyone who had the pleasure of working with him.”
Dr Rajeev Singh, consultant radiologist and clinical director for imaging at UHDB, said: “It is hard to accept that a man with such a passion for life, and his beautiful young family, have been taken in this way. His passing has left a profound void, not only in his professional contributions but in the warmth and spirit that he gave to the world every day.”
Dr Deepak Kaladagi, a former classmate and close friend of Dr Joshi, shared a photo of the family on holiday with an accompanying caption: “May their souls rest in peace and God give strength to their family to bear this loss.”
Sisters from London were celebrating grandmother’s birthday
Two sisters who had visited their grandmother to celebrate her birthday were among those killed.
Dhir and Heer Baxi, both in their 20s, had travelled from their homes in London to Ahmedabad for a surprise visit and were returning when the flight crashed.
Their family and friends said that “everything has vanished” in their world after the “young talents” were killed.
Dhir, a designer, graduated from Parsons Paris art and design school in 2024 with a bachelor of fine arts degree in fashion design, while Heer worked in London after graduating from Barnard College, a liberal arts college affiliated with Columbia University, with a bachelor of arts in economics and east Asian languages and cultures.
She had previously worked in Hong Kong and Singapore, where the sisters are believed to have grown up.
Dhir’s Instagram profile reads “Paris and London”, and most of her posts are photo shoots of her clothing with various collaborators. Her family said she was about to return to the French capital for a show.
Their elder brother, Ishan Baxi, told The Telegraph: “I can’t express what my complete family is going through – shell shocked, not coming to terms is what I can say right now
“Both had a natural aura of helping and always cared about family values. They both had aspirations to be successful enough to roam around the world, tension-free. Along with their parents, they both had a proclivity towards modernisation without changing traditional values.
“Both my sisters know what is right and what is wrong, thus whatever work they carried out, in academics or fashion, they always got success with no conflicts amongst peers or seniors.”
On Heer’s last Instagram post from November 2024, a comment was added on Thursday evening that said: “RIP young talent”, alongside a photo of a model wearing one of Dhir’s dress designs with a traditional gajra, a flower garland, in her hair.
Couple flying with four-year-old daughter known for their generosity
A family of three from Gloucester who died were “widely loved and deeply respected”, their relatives said in a statement issued through their Imam.
They were identified as father Akeel Nanabawa, his wife Hannaa Vorajee and their four-year-old daughter Sara Nanabawa.
It is understood that Mr Nanabawa, who grew up in Newport, was returning to his home in Gloucestershire with the family.
Abdullah Samad, a headteacher of their primary school, said Sara was a “ray of sunshine” who “lit up the classroom”.
He said the married couple were well known for their charity work and generosity. “They touched lots of people and they will be missed by lots of people,” he told the BBC.
“They helped fundraise for the humanitarian efforts in Gaza and medical care for poor individuals in India. That was part of their service to the community,” he said.
The couple ran an outsourcing services business, Iceberg, with bases in both Gloucester and Ahmedabad.
Ms Vorajee was also a director at Peace Inclusion, a grassroots organisation that works to build bridges between communities and promote understanding of Islam through education.
Couple spoke of ‘magical experience’ hours before take-off
Also onboard the doomed flight were Fiongal and Jamie Greenlaw-Meek, who ran a spiritual wellness centre and yoga studio.
The couple had posted on social media about their “magical experience” in the country just hours before take-off.
In a video posted on social media from their boutique hotel in the city, the night before their flight, Fiongal, who described himself as a “fashion designer-turned-spiritual adviser” said: “So it’s our last night in India and we have had a magical experience really, there has been some quite mind blowing things have happened.”
His husband Jamie, a yoga teacher and former dancer, added: “We really have been on quite a journey and then just spending the last night here in this amazing hotel and we have just had the most delicious Tali food. It was a perfect way to round up the trip. Excited to share it all with you”.
The couple also shared a video of them at the airport just as people were boarding the plane and another in which Fiongal said that they were “feeling very, very, very happy”.
The couple ran The Wellness Foundry in south London and Ramsgate, Kent, which offers psychic readings, tarot, Reiki and yoga.
In January, Fiongal appeared on ITV’s This Morning to talk about people’s auras and what they mean.
Family of four from Wembley
Others feared dead include a family of four from Wembley who had been to visit a relative in the village of Diu.
Hemaxi Shantilal had been to visit her sick mother with her husband, Girish Lalgi, their three-year-old son Adair and one-year-old daughter Takshril.
Ms Shantilal spoke to a friend from the village just as she was boarding the plane.
Photographs posted on social media show the couple marrying in a lavish Indian ceremony four years ago.
‘Hardest working’ father was travelling back to London
Another passenger has been identified as Adnan Master, 30, from Forest Hill, east London, who had been visiting relatives in India with his wife and child. It is understood he was travelling back to London alone.
Mr Master was described by friends as cheerful, funny, intelligent and hard-working.
One friend, who declined to be named, said he was “probably one of the nicest guys you’d ever meet” and worked two jobs – one at a DIY store in east London and another as a delivery driver.
The friend added: “He was just one of the hardest-working people you’d ever meet. He just didn’t stop, and everything he did was for his family. Everything he spoke about was for his family, ‘I want to make my child have a good life’.”
Couple were returning from holiday with children
A British family of four – Javed Ali Syed, his wife Mariam, and their young children, Zayn and Amani – were also on the Air India flight.
Mrs Syed, 35, worked for nearly a decade as a brand ambassador at Harrods, while Mr Syed worked as a hotel manager at the Best Western Kensington Olympia Hotel. The family were reportedly returning home from a holiday in India.
The father-of-two previously received a team member of the year award in 2017 while working for the Comfort Inn London in Westminster.
Recently widowed mother had been supporting her dying husband
Another passenger was Raxa Modha, who was recently widowed.
The 55-year-old mother-of-three, who was returning to her home in Northamptonshire, had been in India for an extended period to support her husband while he battled an illness. Their son, Kishan Modha, was due to return to the UK on a later flight.
A family friend told MailOnline: “It’s incredibly sad, the whole family is already grieving Kishor’s death.
“Kishan, fortunately, was getting on another flight, but we don’t know what has happened to the others.”
She was described by neighbours on Thursday as a “lovely lady”.
Dentist from Canada was mother of one-year-old
Nirali Sureshkumar Patel, a dentist from Mississauga, Ontario, has been identified as the single Canadian victim.
Mrs Patel worked at the Heritage Dental Centre and had a one-year-old child.
Her husband told Canada Press: “That was my wife. I am not in a state to speak right now.”
Another family member said: “She was very nice. She was very gentle, but this is not a good time.”
City councillor Natalie Hart said in tribute: “I’m deeply saddened to learn that Dr Patel, a dentist who practised in Ward 5, has been identified as a victim of the Air India tragedy.”
“My prayers are with her loved ones and everyone in our community who will be mourning her.”
Nursery teacher aimed to establish school in India
An award-winning nursery headteacher who was among those killed in the Air India crash has been hailed as “a guiding light and an inspiration”.
Panna Nagar, 68, ran Northfleet Nursery School in Gravesend for 15 years until 2020 and was described on Friday as “a remarkable leader, mentor, and friend”.
Ms Nagar, who lived in Canterbury, Kent, is thought to have travelled to India because she was involved in founding a school in the country.
Northfleet’s current head, Neerasha Singh, said Ms Nagar had an “immeasurable” impact on all who knew her.
“With unwavering dedication, Ms Nagar fostered a school environment filled with warmth, kindness, and encouragement,” she said.
Former school governors, Jeremy and Fiona Strike, said Ms Nagar had dramatically improved the nursery school and was “loved” by her pupils.
They said: “She brought the school from failing to outstanding because of all the work she put in.”
One of Ms Nagar’s neighbours, Maddie Bundock, said: “She’s such a lovely lady. So kind as well. She’s got this little dog and she’s so kind.”
Newly engaged couple planning to marry in India
Hardik Avaiya, 28, and Vibhooti Patel, 27, a newly engaged couple, were also killed.
The couple met while working for Amazon in Leicester and were planning to marry in India next year.
Their friend Dhaval Patel was supposed to pick them up from the airport on Thursday and called Mr Avaiya just minutes before their plane took off.
Mr Patel told The Telegraph: “He was a very good person. Nice to talk to. He was a happy man. They were very much in love.”
Family who celebrated Eid in Ahmedabad
Meanwhile, Inayatali Saiyedmiya Saiyed, 48, and his family were travelling back home to Wembley after flying to Ahmedabad for Eid celebrations, when they too were killed.
Engineer Mr Saiyed was on board with wife Nafisa, 46, daughter Taskin, 25, a doctor, and son Waquee Ali, 22, who was in his final year of studying computer science at City University in London.