'Heart-wrenching': Families of crash victims recover personal belongings
Six months after the tragic Air India Flight AI171 crash that killed 241 of the 242 people on board and more than two dozen people on the ground, families are finally able to recover personal items through a special Family Returns Centre opened in January 2026.
The center was set up to help loved ones reconnect with memories lost in the disaster.
Centre holds about 22,000 recovered belongings
The center holds about 22,000 recovered belongings—everything from IDs to wedding albums.
Around 8,000 items have been identified by photos, while the rest are listed online.
Families can file claims for their things until February 20, 2026.
Families begin to visit the center
Families like Savdhanbhai Chaudhary's have started visiting to collect precious reminders of those they lost—like charred wedding albums and important documents.
Others, including Parth Patel, have found items such as his mother's purse on the online portal after receiving emails and photos from Air India, while Krutik Patel's family reviewed the portal but decided not to search further to avoid re-traumatizing his mother.