‘I hugged her, asked her to take care’: Brother’s last interaction with sister killed in Ahmedabad plane crash

KHEDA(Gujarat): Rupal Patel (45), who was visiting her maternal home from London in Uttarsanda village in Nadiad of Kheda district for medical treatment, was one of the 241 passengers onboard that were killed in the deadly Ahmedabad plane crash. She is survived by her three children and husband.

Pawan Patel, brother of deceased Rupal Patel, said that he had gone to see his sister off at the airport for her London-bound flight, where she had been living with her family for 15 years.

“My sister had come to Nadiad for treatment. She had a flight today and had to return to London. I had gone to drop her off. However, I got the news that the flight had crashed as soon as I returned home. My sister has been living in London for 15 years and is staying there with her husband and three children,” Patel told reporters here.

Sharing the last interaction with his sister, Pawan Patel said that he helped Rupal with her luggage since she was suffering from a medical condition. He hugged her in the end, asking her to take care.

“She was suffering from a medical condition. I helped her with her luggage and gave her a hug at the end. I asked her to take care of herself. My DNA sample has been collected, and I have been told that the report will come after 72 hours,” Patel added.

Heena Patel, sister-in-law of Rupal Patel, said, “My sister-in-law has died in this incident. She lived in London and came to India for medical treatment. She stayed with us during her visit.”

The Boeing 787-8, Air India flight 171, which crashed shortly after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad, has claimed the lives of 241 people onboard.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has increased the number of teams attending to the emergency situation at the plane crash site in Ahmedabad. NDRF Inspector Vinay Kumar said that the specialised force has recovered 81 bodies so far and has deployed seven teams to help with the emergency situation.

The passenger flight crashed near the airport into a resident doctors’ hostel building on Thursday, claiming the lives of 241 people onboard, including 12 crew members.

Meanwhile, a formal investigation has been launched by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) into the deadly crash of Air India flight 171 that killed 241 people onboard, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu confirmed on Thursday.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is a division of the Ministry of Civil Aviation tasked with probing aircraft accidents in India.

“Following the tragic incident in Ahmedabad, a formal investigation has been initiated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), in line with international protocols set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO),” Naidu posted on X.

He informed that the Indian government was also constituting a high-level committee of people with expertise in multiple disciplines to examine the crash incident and devise ways to strengthen aviation safety by preventing such incidents in the future.

Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), a federal agency authorised by Congress to investigate civil aviation accidents in the United States (US), is gearing up to send a team of investigators to India to assist with probing the deadly Ahmedabad plane crash.

The flight, which was operating from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick on June 12, 2025, carried 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian national.

The Tata group-owned airline has set up a dedicated passenger hotline number, 1800 5691 444, to provide more information. Those calling from outside India can call +91 8062779200.

Miraculously, one person has survived the deadly crash, the airline authorities said, adding that the survivor was a British national of Indian origin.
The aircraft was piloted by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a Line Training Captain with 8,200 hours of flying experience, assisted by First Officer Clive Kundar, who had logged 1,100 flying hours.

According to Air Traffic Control (ATC), the aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 1339 IST (0809 UTC) from runway 23. It made a Mayday call to ATC, but thereafter, the aircraft did not respond to the calls made by ATC.

Immediately after departing Runway 23, the aircraft fell on the ground outside the airport perimeter. An official said heavy black smoke was coming from the accident site.

The Tata Group has announced a compensation of Rs 1 crore for the families of each person who lost their lives in the crash. (ANI)