Two girls orphaned after dad dies in Air India crash, 2 weeks after mom died of cancer

Two weeks after their mother passed away from cancer, two young girls lost their father in the July 12 Air India plane crash, leaving them orphans.

Heartbreaking reports state that Arjun Patoliya, a 37-year-old British national, was one of the 270 people killed in last week’s aviation tragedy, which was the worst to strike India in more than 30 years. The plane had issues from the moment it took off, and an investigation is still underway to determine exactly what went wrong with the aircraft, which crashed less than a minute after taking off.

In order to scatter his late wife Bharti’s ashes in her hometown of Gujarat, Arjun had been traveling to the nation to carry out her final wishes. According to reports, Bharti passed away two weeks ago following a “courageous” fight with cancer.

Due to Arjun’s death, Bharti and his two young daughters, who are only four and eight years old, are now orphans.

The families of those killed in the crash are still in shock at the lack of tangible answers they have received thus far. The family of Arjun and Bharti, who have now experienced two tragedies in less than 20 days, is one of them.

A GoFundMe page has been established in the wake of Arjun and Bharti’s passing to help raise funds for their children’s futures.

According to the fundraiser’s biography, “two young sisters, only 4 and 8 years old, have lost both of their beloved parents in a span of just 18 days.”

Bharti Patoliya, their mother, fought valiantly against cancer before passing away. Her husband, Arjun Patoliya, traveled to India to scatter her ashes in Gujarat, her native state, as a final act of her dying wishes. However, tragedy struck once more on his way home to their daughters. Arjun was one of the people killed in the June 2025 Air India Flight Tragedy, which occurred in Ahmedabad shortly after takeoff.

“Arjun never came back to the kids they both raised after leaving to say goodbye to his wife. In less than two weeks, the world has completely changed for these two lovely young girls who are now without parents.

The total amount raised so far is over £576,000, which “will go directly to a legal trust or the appointed guardians to ensure every penny is dedicated to the girls’ needs.”

Kanchan Patoliya, Arjun’s mother, told the Indian Express that she or her younger son Gopal would take care of the girls.

“Gopal arrived in Ahmedabad on Friday evening,” she clarified. We will sit down and decide both girls’ futures after we have finished all the rites. I’ll take a plane to London if necessary to look after my granddaughters and stay at my younger son’s house.