Video: Families hold funerals for Air India crash victims, bid farewell to loved ones
Saineeta Chakravarti's final remains were handed over to her family in Juhu Koliwada as the sky poured upon the quiet grieving crowd.
"She would always check about our health before leaving for the airport," her mother told Times of India a day after the crash, still in disbelief over her daughter's passing at the time. "Even if her shift started at 4 in the morning. She would say, 'Ma, you always take care of me. Let me do the same for you sometimes."
Maharashtra: The mortal remains of crew member Saineeta Chakravarti, who died in the Ahmedabad plane crash, were handed over to her family at her residence in the Juhu Koliwada area pic.twitter.com/TmiREcd9GM
— IANS (@ians_india) June 16, 2025
Families of victims of the deadly Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad have been holding funerals, bidding farewell to their loved ones on the fifth day after the incident took place on June 12, as officials return remains of victims.
While mourners have held funerals for some of the 279 people killed, others are facing an anguished wait as many families were still waiting Monday for results of DNA testing.
At a crematorium in the city, around 20 to 30 mourners chanted prayers in a funeral ceremony for Megha Mehta, a passenger who had been working in London.
As of late Sunday, 80 crash victims had been identified, according to Rajnish Patel, a doctor at Ahmedabad's civil hospital.
In Lunawada, Gujarat, a family received the mortal remains of Dr Nirali Patel, who lost her life in the plane crash.
Mahisagar, Gujarat: The mortal remains of Dr. Nirali Patel, who lost her life in the Ahmedabad plane crash, were brought to Lunawada pic.twitter.com/cDZ0UbpMiE
— IANS (@ians_india) June 16, 2025
Nirali, the only Canadian on the flight, is now survived by her husband and 1-year-old daughter. Nirali had flown down to India for a couple of days before planning to go back to Canada, a home she never made it back t. Her husband and daughter were reported to have flown back for her final rites.
Meanwhile in Gandhinagar, families, local residents and police officials conducted the final rites of a couple v Brahmbhatt and Kalyani Brahmbhatt, who died side by side in the tragic crash.
The couple, who were on their way to the UK, have left behind two children aged 12 and 16, as per media reports. Gaurav Brahmbhatt was the co-founder and business head for a British-based company.
The mortal remains of the two were cremated at Sector 30 Mukti Dham.
#WATCH | Mortal remains of passengers Gaurav Brahmbhatt and Kalyani Brahmbhatt, who lost their lives in the tragic Air India plane crash, brought to their residence in Gandhinagar, Gujarat pic.twitter.com/qglpfUxHWP
— ANI (@ANI) June 16, 2025
Gujarat: A couple from Gandhinagar, Gaurav Bhai and Kalyani Ben, who died in the Ahmedabad plane crash, were cremated today at Sector 30 Mukti Dham. Their bodies were brought from Sector 20. Local residents and police officials were present during the final rites pic.twitter.com/rmqSjBz7lQ
— IANS (@ians_india) June 16, 2025
The state of Gujarat also mourned the loss of its former Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who died in the plane crash, performing his final rites with full state honour.
Many key politicians came down to the location to pay their respects to the public figure.
Rupani's wife was seen bidding an emotional farewell to her husband.
#WATCH | Ahmedabad | Former CM Vijay Rupani's wife, Anjali Rupani, bids an emotional farewell to her husband pic.twitter.com/5FkneNWKG4
— ANI (@ANI) June 16, 2025
There was one survivor out of 242 passengers and crew on board the London-bound plane Thursday when it slammed into a residential area of Ahmedabad, killing at least 38 people on the ground as well.
One victim's relative who did not want to be named told AFP they had been instructed not to open the coffin when they receive it.
Witnesses reported seeing badly burnt bodies and scattered remains.
Workers went on clearing debris from the site on Sunday, while police inspected the area.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner erupted into a fireball when it went down moments after takeoff, smashing into buildings used by medical staff.
Air India said there were 169 Indian passengers, 53 British, seven Portuguese and a Canadian on board the flight, as well as 12 crew members.
'We need to know'
Indian authorities have yet to identify the cause of the disaster and have ordered inspections of Air India's Dreamliners.
Authorities announced Sunday that the second black box, the cockpit voice recorder, had been recovered. This may offer investigators more clues about what went wrong.
Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said Saturday he hoped decoding the first black box, the flight data recorder, would "give an in-depth insight" into the circumstances of the crash.
One person escaped alive from the wreckage, British citizen Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, whose brother was also on the flight.
Imtiyaz Ali, who was still waiting for a DNA match to find his brother, said the airline should have supported families faster.
"I'm disappointed in them. It is their duty," said Ali, who was contacted by the airline on Saturday.
"Next step is to find out the reason for this accident. We need to know," he told AFP.
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