A mother who tragically died in the Air India plane crash near Ahmedabad had expressed deep reluctance about travelling and leaving her young son for the first time, her colleague has revealed.

Abdhiben Patel, affectionately known as Abdhi, was among the 241 passengers who lost their lives when flight AI171 crashed shortly after take-off on Thursday, BBC reported.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner plummeted into a residential area, also claiming the lives of at least 29 people on the ground. Only one passenger survived – a 40-year-old British man.

The 40-year-old beauty salon manager had returned to India just two weeks earlier to care for her elderly mother. According to her colleague and close friend, Atif Karim, she had been visibly hesitant about the trip.

“She didn’t want to go,” said Mr Karim, 45, who worked with her at Zone Beauty Studio in Northampton. “She told me, ‘I just don’t like being away from him.’ It was her first time leaving him and she was very nervous.”

Mr Karim added that while Abdhi felt a strong sense of obligation to visit her mother, the decision was clearly troubling her. Tensions between India and Pakistan at the time further heightened her anxiety. “All the flights were getting cancelled,” he noted. “It didn’t feel like the right time.”

Abdhi’s husband, Pankaj, worked night shifts, making her bond with their eight-year-old son, Meer, especially strong.

“She kept saying how shy and reserved he is; how attached they were. She was totally devoted to him – her entire world revolved around him,” Mr Karim said.

She had planned to resume work at the salon on Saturday. Just a day before the crash, she messaged her colleague offering to finish a task remotely. “‘Do you want me to finish that?’ and later, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll sort it,’” Mr Karim recalled. “That was the last I heard.”

Originally from Gujarat, Mrs Patel moved to the UK in 2012 and joined the Northampton salon in 2016. She rose through the ranks to become its manager three years ago.

“She was the most diligent, reliable worker I’ve ever had,” said Mr Karim. “But more than that, she was our friend.”

He described her as “bubbly, kind, always smiling,” with a natural ability to make others feel comfortable. “She got on with everyone and left a real mark on the people she worked with and the customers she served. Yesterday, we had people coming in and crying their eyes out.”

Mrs Patel’s husband and son are currently in India, where authorities continue efforts to identify victims and return remains to loved ones. The crash sent shockwaves through communities in both the UK and India, with tributes pouring in for those lost in the devastating tragedy.

Legit.ng earlier reported that in a tragic turn of events, the AI-171 flight crash claimed 241 lives, including Yasmin Vora, her nephew Pervez Vora, 30, and his daughter Zuveriya, 4.

Yasmin, 51, spoke to her husband just before take-off, expressing concerns about the aircraft's air conditioning system.

Originally set to fly on June 9, Yasmin extended her ticket to June 12 to accompany her nephew and his young daughter.

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Source: Legit.ng