London: Indian Diaspora Mourns Victims of Ahmedabad Air India Crash

In London, members of the Indian community gathered outside the Indian High Commission to pay their respects to those who perished in the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad. Floral tributes were offered at the site as a gesture of mourning. Kunal, a member of the Indian diaspora from Gujarat, expressed his grief and offered prayers for the departed souls, hoping such a tragedy would never happen again. Simultaneously, across India, people from various states organized tributes for the victims. In Haridwar, Uttarakhand, prayers were offered on the banks of the Ganga River, with lamps lit and rituals performed. In Tamil Nadu, the Rameswaram People’s Protection Council paid homage at Agni Theertham beach in Pamban. A solemn condolence meeting was held at King George Medical University (KGMU) in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. The Air India flight AI-171, a Boeing Dreamliner 787-8, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday. The flight was en route to London’s Gatwick Airport. Out of the 242 people on board, only one person survived. The aircraft departed Ahmedabad at 1339 IST (0809 UTC) from runway 23, sending a Mayday call before crashing outside the airport perimeter, resulting in heavy black smoke. The flight carried 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian national.