Air India: University Student Dies in Crash after Seeking Marriage Blessing from Lover’s Parents

• Dirth Patel was among the 241 passengers who died in the horrific Air India plane crash on Thursday, June 12
• The 22-year-old was returning to Leeds, United Kingdom (UK), after visiting his girlfriend’s parents
• Raj Kaur, a family friend, admitted the families were struggling to come to terms with the death of the “bright” student

A young man from Leeds, United Kingdom (UK), has been identified among the victims of the Air India plane crash.

Dirth Patel had returned to his country to ask his girlfriend’s family for permission to marry her, as revealed by family friends.

However, on his way back to the UK, where he lived with his brother and sister-in-law, he met his tragic fate.

What course was Dirth Patel pursuing?

Raj Kaur, a family friend, noted that the 22-year-old, who was pursuing a master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence (AI), would be greatly missed.

“He was the nicest, smiliest, and had a positive outlook on life. He’d only just started his adult life. He was so incredibly bright, softly spoken—just a wonderful person. It’s a huge shock, really awful.

It’s so heartbreaking because he was so excited to be coming back and setting up a life for himself. Knowing his brother, this is going to change them all forever,” she said.

Dirth Patel's mum falls sick after his death

Patel’s brother, along with his wife, travelled to India to be with the rest of the family after receiving the tragic news.

Raj admitted that the family was struggling to cope with the loss of the bright student whose life was cut short instantly.

“His mother isn’t doing very well—she has become quite ill. She dropped him off at the airport and had barely driven away when she heard the explosion. It doesn’t bear thinking about,” he noted.

Netizens mourn Dirth Patel

Social media users flocked to the comment section to pen emotional messages following the updates:

Vanessa Jenkins:

"So tragic. It’s unbelievable—all the stories that are unfolding of real people with full lives of promise and success. It’s so unfair. Those on the ground as well—families wiped out. Another respectful young man doing it the right way, with a good life ahead of him. It’s truly awful."

Jason Thomas Brown:

"It said his mother dropped him off at the airport. I can’t imagine the amount of pain a parent would be in, knowing they were the ones who dropped them off. It’s utterly heartbreaking.

He was trying to do something respectful—so sad. There are so many different stories, and they’re all heartbreaking. My hospital lost a doctor and his family."

Michelle Hazarian:

"Absolutely heartbreaking for this young man and for all those who had their lives cut short! Condolences to all the families and friends of the crew and passengers who lost their lives yesterday.

It’s not easy to pick up the pieces and move on from such a devastating tragedy. How does anyone directly affected by this disaster move forward and find a semblance of normality? So incredibly sad."

Sue Greenwood:

"My heart goes out to all those who died and their families and friends. All those medical students too, who could have continued the good work as doctors—totally gone."

Pat Lay:

"Oh my goodness, these stories of these poor people are heartbreaking. All those lovely souls whose lives were cut short so tragically. So very, very sad."

Young bride dies in Air India plane crash

In another story, a young bride was among the passengers who died in the fateful London-bound plane.

Khushboo Rajpurohit, a 21-year-old woman, had taken a selfie at the airport before boarding the doomed flight.

She was on her way to see her husband, whom she had recently married, not knowing the danger that lay ahead.

Proofreading by Asher Omondi, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.

Source: TUKO.co.ke