"I didn't know they were coming. When they showed up at my door, I was speechless," said Anil Ambalal Patel, whose son and daughter-in-law were among the 241 victims of the tragic Air India Ahmedabad–London crash.

Patel, a retired schoolteacher from Nadiad, hadn’t seen his son since 2022. The couple had settled abroad, pursuing careers and dreams. But instead of a surprise reunion, he opened the door to officials bearing their final remains.

Wrapped in silence and sacred rituals, the handover of the ashes shattered the family’s last sliver of hope. "I still can’t believe this is how they came home", he whispered, holding a framed photo taken years ago.

His story echoes across dozens of homes across Gujarat and beyond, where families are now left with only DNA reports and urns, struggling to find closure.

As investigation panels sift through black box data and engineering records, families like Anil's are left asking why a routine flight ended in a nightmare-and whether this could have been prevented.