On June 12, 2025, Air India Flight 171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed moments after takeoff from Ahmedabad Airport, slamming into the hostel block of B.J. Medical College. The horrific disaster claimed 241 of the 242 people on board and caused additional casualties on the ground.
Among the victims were Bhogilal Parmar, 57, and his wife Hansa, 55, residents of Rakhiyana village near Mandal in Ahmedabad district. The couple was traveling abroad for the first time, eager to visit their son and pregnant daughter-in-law in the UK, who are expecting their first child this week.
Before the Parmar family could come to terms with the devastating news, a second tragedy struck. Bhogilal’s elder sister, Gomti Parmar, 65, collapsed and died from shock during a mourning gathering at the family’s home in Lambha, Ahmedabad. Her son, Sagar, shared that Gomti and Bhogilal shared a deep emotional bond since childhood. The heartbreak of losing him and Hansa proved too much for her to endure.
Gomti Parmar’s final rites were performed on Friday—tragically, before those of her younger brother Bhogilal, whose remains have yet to be formally identified. While Hansa’s body has been confirmed, the family still awaits DNA test results to identify Bhogilal. His daughter, Pinki, provided a DNA sample for matching. “We’ll conduct their final rites together once both bodies are returned to us,” said Sagar.