India plane crash victim had flown home to bury his father
By Sunil Kataria and Sudipto Ganguly
AHMEDABAD (Reuters) -Lawrence Christian had flown to India to bury his father. A fortnight later, his family is now waiting to bury him.
Christian, 30, worked in Britain and was one of the passengers on the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London that crashed last week with 242 people on board, seconds after taking off from Ahmedabad.
"When he sat on the plane, he saw me over a video call and bid adieu," his mother Ravina told Reuters at her home in Ahmedabad, sobbing inconsolably as she sat with her daughter Rinal.
"The last thing he said was that he was switching off his phone and would call me after he lands."
All but one person on board was declared dead in the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. Around 30 people died on the ground.
Ravina Christian lost her husband, Daniel, in May to heart-related complications, and their son was the only bread-winner in the family.
Christian's grandmother, Salvina Christian, said: 'We have lost everything, the three of us have been left here. Our strength, our pride, everything has gone. We have lost the light of our home."
The family was waiting to receive Christian's remains.
Doctors in Ahmedabad's biggest government hospital have been relying on dental records and DNA samples to identify the dead.
Imitaz Ali Sayed is one of those people, waiting to hear if his brother Sayed Javed Ali, his brother's wife, six-year-old son and four-year-old daughter, have been identified.
The four were visiting India for a family Eid celebration and to visit their mother, and are presumed dead in the crash, but he says he still holds out hope that they might have survived.
"There is still hope inside. Anything is possible. It is the Almighty who decides if one lives or dies," he told Reuters outside the hospital.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
3 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Lively church embraces the Big Give, which is spreading across Canada
The Big Give? What is it? I asked Amanda Luoma to tell me all about it. 'Every year on the first Saturday of June, churches across Canada show their neighbours the unconditional love of God by giving, for free, asking nothing in return. We call it The Big Give (TBG).' Who is behind organizing this? 'The history of TBG dates back to 2014, when two Ottawa churches created a committee that saw 55 area churches take part,' Luoma said. 'It has grown over the years with churches across Canada - and even three in Australia - joining the movement.' Luoma accepted the role of TBG organizer for 2025 for Cornerstone Community Church in Lively. 'My idea to offer small acts of service to those in need of them within the Walden area was agreed upon and this is what we set out to do.' What sort of support did volunteers deliver? 'The teams took on shed roof repairs, garden weeding, restoration and mulch application. They also did wood siding cleanup, priming and painting and some gutter cleanout. There were 'large rock relocation, tear down of lumber storage area and relocation of lumber, some interlocking stone walkway repair and side of road cleanup & trash removal.' How many people were helped? Luoma talked about the power of working together. 'Four residences were outfitted with teams of five-six individuals, as well as the entire community who benefit from the cleanup and trash removal alongside the Hwy leading to Old Creighton Road.' Just because this is set for June - and happened already – now there is a desire to do more year-round. 'Cornerstone Community Church is launching the Prayer & Care program that will see people be able to ask for help in both the spiritual - prayer - and physical sense - care - through continued small acts of service throughout the year,' Luoma said. Church members will also be undertaking a larger-scale initiative for Saturday, June 6, 2026, in the same way that they did this June. Do recipients have to belong to this church community? 'Not at all,' she said. 'As Cornerstone Community Church is located in Lively, the Walden area is our primary focus for care.' Does Luoma see this growing as a response to aging or need? 'Yes. The population is aging, which includes the volunteer body within the church. We are hopeful that as the need rises within the community, the number of volunteers will also rise and we will be able to meet the needs.' Neighbours used to help neighbours. Is this part of the philosophy? 'We are a Christian church that endeavours to follow Jesus,' Luoma said. 'His words to love your neighbour as yourself mean something. Our actions towards others are important and have an impact. 'So, yes, we are trying to change and have serving and providing for others become the norm again.' Garth Wunsch welcomed a team to his home. He shared the reasons why. 'Several weeks ago, I suffered a very serious fall, with damage to head and right arm/shoulder, which has really limited my ability to get things done. 'Add to this our advancing years and many homeowner tasks become increasingly difficult. It is our intent to live in our own home for as long as possible, and help from The Big Give makes that ever more possible.' Cornerstone Community Church is located at 225 Sixth Avenue in Lively. The team can be reached via email at careandprayer@ . The Cornerstone website, , will also have information. Those who want to volunteer can reach out via the email address or website. The Local Journalism Initiative is made possible through funding from the federal government. Bluesky: @ X: @SudburyStar Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
How The Sole Survivor Of India's 787 Plane Crash Walked Away With Little More Than A Limp
Last week's Air India Flight 171 crash claimed the lives of nearly 280 people in the plane and on the ground, yet somehow, one of the passengers lived to tell the tale. I'm not much of a believer in miracles, but this is about as close as we're going to get. There were 242 people on board the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner when it crashed into a building shortly after taking off from an airport in Ahmedabad, India. 241 were killed by the impact, intense heat and smoke, but not Viswash Kumar Ramesh. In the hours following the crash, footage began popping up online with wounds on his face and blood on his shirt, according to the New York Times. He was seen walking himself to an ambulance with a small limp and a crowd around him saying he had come "from inside" the plane. It's truly astonishing. Read more: These Supercars Lose Value So Quickly, They're Almost A Steal At first, it seemed like this was a mistake or a hoax because of how badly harmed many of the bodies found at the crash site were, but by the end of the day, Air India confirmed that there was one survivor who was being treated at the hospital. Here's what the 38-year-old said in an interview. From the New York Times: "I still can't believe how I got out alive," Mr. Ramesh said. [...] "I thought I was also about to die." Mr. Ramesh, who was seated in an exit row, said the plane had felt "stuck five or 10 seconds after takeoff," and it seemed to be trying to accelerate when it crashed. [...] The front of the plane, after hitting buildings, crashed into an open area, he said, while the tail was stuck in a building, which was later identified as the dining facility of a medical college. Ramesh told The Times that he unbuckled his seat right after the crash when he saw a way to get out. He didn't make it clear if he had to open the emergency exit he was sitting next to or if it opened during impact. Either way, he was able to get out without being seriously injured. "When my door broke, I saw there was some space — that I could try to get out," he said in the interview. "The other side, people couldn't get out, as it was crushed against a wall." The incredibly lucky man — a British citizen — was on his way back to England after a vacation to India with his brother Ajay. He was seated in 11J on the right side of the plane, and was killed in the crash, Just after the crash, Ramesh made a video call to his family near the wreckage to confirm he was safe, according to NYT. This incident wasn't the first time a single person survived a horrific crash. Back in 1987, a four-year-old was the sole survivor of a crash in Detroit that killed 156 people. There is a place you can sit on a plane that will give you the best chance of survival, but oddly, Ramesh wasn't sitting in one of these seats on his flight. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
New York Post
6 hours ago
- New York Post
Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, 90, in critical condition as family braces for worst: ‘Without a miracle, his time is short'
Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart is in intensive care following a heart attack and may not survive, according to his son. 'Without a miracle, his time is short,' son Donnie Swaggart, who preaches from the same pulpit as his ailing 90-year-old father, said during a service Sunday. The full extent of the pastor's illness was not immediately clear. 3 Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart is in intensive care following a heart attack, according to his family. Facebook / Jimmy Swaggart 3 Swaggart's son said his dad may not survive. Facebook / Jimmy Swaggart Emergency responders quickly arrived at the scene after the scandal-plagued preacher went into cardiac arrest, family publicist Megan Kelly said and praised them for their efforts. 'Ambulances were able to respond very quickly. They gave him CPR, they took turns doing it, and you can imagine how emotional that was and how stressful that was in that moment,' she said. There were no updates since his condition was first announced, Jimmy Swaggart Ministries said in a statement Monday. 'We ask that you continue to lift him up in prayer and believe God for a miracle — but above all, we trust in the Lord's perfect will,' the ministry said, adding that it would continue to post updates on their Facebook page. Swaggart was defrocked by the Assemblies of God in 1988 after a sex scandal, when rival televangelist Marvin Gorman publicized photos of him with a local prostitute at a Baton Rouge, La., motel. That February, he gave a tearful on-air apology for his actions, famously stating, 'I have sinned.' 3 'Without a miracle, his time is short,' said Donnie Swaggart, who preaches from the same pulpit as his ailing 90-year-old father. Facebook / Jimmy Swaggart He weathered the controversy, and his TV audience grew to 800,000 viewers over the next few years. However, in 1991, he was pulled over in a traffic stop and found to be in the company of another prostitute, leading to several of his contracts being canceled. Despite this, Swaggart kept preaching independently, opening the SonLife Broadcasting Network in 2010, an international Christian TV network that aired both live and prerecorded programs.
