School fund to be Air India crash family 'legacy'
A fundraiser in memory of a four-year-old girl who was killed in the Air India crash this week has raised more than £26,000 in its first day.
The aim of the Sara Nanabawa Fund was to "create a permanent hardship fund for families attending Al Ashraf Primary School [in Gloucester]", organisers said.
Sara attended the school on Stratton Road, Gloucester, and died along with her parents Akeel Nanabawa and Hannaa Vorajee in the crash on Thursday.
Akeel's cousin, Abu Nanabawa, told BBC West: "Akeel and Hannaa were very giving people - that's their legacy and we wanted to honour that."
He said: "If there are any families or children in the school who are struggling, the money will go towards helping them in an emergency to cover costs they may have.
"As a family, we're overwhelmed and thankful for all the support - it means a lot at times like this.
"It gives us happiness to know they left behind such a positive legacy."
More news stories for Gloucestershire
Listen to the latest news for Gloucestershire
The three were returning from a surprise trip to India when their plane crashed.
A representative of the Nanabawa family, Imam Abdullah Patel, has flown to India while Indian authorities work to identify those who have died.
Gloucester Labour MP Alex McIntyre said he was also working to help.
He said: "Since this tragic incident, I have been working on behalf of Gloucester residents with the Foreign Office and High Commissioner of India's Office to make sure the family gets the support it needs.
"I have been in regular contact with Abdullah Patel including over the weekend.
"The British government has resources on the ground in Ahmedabad and they have now contacted Abdullah."
Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.
Tribute to 'kind and joyful' Air India crash victims
Tribute to 'kind and joyful' Air India crash victims
Girl killed in plane crash was 'ray of sunshine'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
7 People, Including a 2-Year-Old, Killed in Helicopter Crash in India, Just Days After Air India Tragedy
A helicopter carrying a number of people to holy sites in the Himalayan mountains in India has crashed, killing seven people A 2-year-old child was among the passengers on the Bell 407 helicopter when it went down in a forested area Sunday's crash comes just days after a London-bound Air India plane crashed shortly after takeoff, killing nearly all of its passengersSeven people have died in a helicopter crash in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand. According to the BBC, a helicopter carrying visitors to a number of Hindu religious pilgrimage sites in the Himalayan mountains crashed on Sunday, June 15, during what would have been a 10-minute flight. Per the Associated Press, the helicopter, which was being operated by private helicopter service company Aryan Aviation, took off at 5:19 a.m. local time and went down in a forested area at around 5:30 a.m. Officials told the outlets that investigators currently believe the crash was caused by poor weather conditions. The helicopter was a Bell 407, a four-blade, single-engine vessel made for civilian use, according to reports. The BBC reported that the helicopter's pilot and a 2-year-old child were among those killed, per the directorate general of civil aviation. The vessel's passengers included residents from the neighboring state of Uttar Pradesh, as well as the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat, per the AP. All of the bodies were badly burned in a fire following the crash. Officials said that India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will investigate the incident. Local official Nandan Singh Rajwar told the AP that authorities have also launched a rescue and search operation. "The helicopter accident in Rudraprayag is extremely unfortunate," Pushkar Singh Dhami, the chief minister of Uttarakhand, wrote in Hindi in a statement on X. "I express my deepest condolences to the deceased in this painful accident." "... A high level meeting was held with all the concerned departments at the Government House to thoroughly review this accident," the minister added. "The safety procedures of helicopter operations are being closely examined." The BBC reported that the country's Civil Aviation Ministry suspended the operations of Aryan Aviation, per the Press Trust of India. The company did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. The region is home to one of the four most sacred Hindu holy sites, and tens of thousands of visitors make a pilgrimage — called the Char Dham Yatra — to the temples each summer, according to the AP. The mountainous terrain is also known for being extremely difficult to navigate due to its sudden weather changes and high altitude. The outlet reported that Sunday's crash was the fifth in the area since April 30. India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation has been asked to oversee all helicopter activity in the region following Sunday's crash, per the AP. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Sunday's crash also comes just days after a London-bound Air India crashed shortly after takeoff, killing nearly all of its passengers. The plane, which was flying from Ahmedabad in western India and was bound for London's Gatwick Airport, crashed into a residential area five minutes after taking off at 1:38 p.m. local time on Thursday, Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, the director general of the directorate of civil aviation, told the AP. The passengers included Indian, British and Portuguese nationals, as well as one person from Canada. Air India has not released an official number of people who have died from the crash, but CNN estimated that the death toll has risen to more than 290 people. The BBC reported that officials say there was at least one confirmed survivor of the crash, who was traveling in seat 11A on the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner flight. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Scotland's papers: Council's 'Oasis fan jibes' and bus funding row
The Herald The Scotsman Daily Record The Scottish Sun Daily Mail Scottish Daily Express The Times The Telegraph The National The Courier The P&J Glasgow Times Edinburgh News
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
River Wye campaigners stage protest over pollution
Campaigners against the pollution in the River Severn have staged a peaceful protest in a town in Worcestershire. About 100 people went to the banks of the river in Bewdley on Sunday, including rock legend Robert Plant, who is supporting local efforts to protect it. People marched through the town and sailed coffins on the water to raise awareness of what they said was a dying eco-system because of sewage overflow and fertiliser run off. Severn Trent said it was taking "major strides" to play its part to safeguard the region's rivers. The Environment Agency has been contacted for a response. Dee Edwards, chair of Communities Against River Pollution (CARP), said the river needed to be cleaned up. "We've got statistics from Severn Trent themselves about spills and we know from a table of Top of the Poops, that in 2024 the Severn was the sixth dirtiest river," she said. Trevor Ponman, also from CARP, said: "If you've got a lot of phosphates and nitrates in the water, it actually feeds plant growth. "Well, that sounds like a good thing, but actually what it can do, especially in the summer, it can trigger so-called algae blooms where you get a whole load of algae growing and then they decay and release toxins which can kill fish and it's really bad for the water if you've got too much of it." Earlier this year, a new law was proposed to mandate the government to clean up pollution in the river after Hereford and South Herefordshire Conservative MP Jesse Norman presented a bill in the House of Commons. It goes back before politicians next month. The river is classified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and is home to protected species. Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant who lives locally, said he had seen the river deteriorate. "It's not support, it's reality," he said. "I looked over the river bridge, I sat on the side of the river here, I wondered where it had gone. "I wondered where all the green was that the fish used to feed." In a statement, Severn Trent said it was taking major strides to play its part to safeguard the region's rivers by delivering the fastest and most ambitious spills reduction programme in the water industry. Its water rangers will meet CARP later this week. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Exhibition shines light on River Wye pollution Judge to decide chicken farm river complaints Celebs accuse Nando's of contributing to Wye pollution Severn Trent Water
