Remains of Air India crash victims are handed over to relatives
AHMEDABAD, India (AP) — Authorities have started handing over remains of the victims of one of India's worst aviation disasters, days after the Air India flight crashed and killed at least 270 people, officials said Sunday.
The London-bound Boeing 787 struck a medical college hostel in a residential area of the northwestern city of Ahmedabad minutes after takeoff Thursday, killing 241 people on board and at least 29 on the ground. One passenger survived.
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CTV News
5 hours ago
- CTV News
‘Unite together': London Indian and South Asian community holds vigil after Air India crash
Lakwinder Kathruria, president of INDO-CAN Punjabi Cultural Association of St. Thomas, prays on June 15, 2025 in memory of those lost in the Air India crash. (Brent Lale/CTV News London) Members of London's Indian and South Asian communities came together Sunday at Victoria Park to hold a vigil in memory of those lost the Air India crash this week. The city of Ahmedabad is more than 12,000 kilometres away from London, Ont., but the ties run deep. 'Friend of mine's mother, it was her first time in her life she was traveling on the plane, and she was the victim of that flight,' said Shams Syed, president of the South Asian Association of London and Surrounding Area. 'It's not only the sadness for Indian community, which is directly affected, and the South Asian community first, but I think everybody was affected by this.' London vigil for India airplane crash Members of the London Indian and South Asian Communities came together at Victoria Park for a vigil in memory of those lost in the Air India crash (Source: Brent Lale/CTV London) A single passenger survived the fiery crash of an Air India passenger plane in the northwestern city of Ahmedabad, killing more than 240 people bound for London, England and others on the ground, officials said. 'We believe everyone should unite together,' said Bob Patel, president of Indian Culture of Southwestern Ontario. 'It's such a bad incident for every one of us because I'm basically from Ahmedabad, my home country where I lived 15 to 17 years of my life. Lots of places, lots of stuff, lots of friends and lots of family members, they lost. That's a really big tragedy.' It was not immediately clear what caused one of India's worst airline disasters in decades. A video of the crash shows the plane with its nose pointed upward, sinking toward the ground before slamming into a medical college. London vigil for India airplane crash Members of the London Indian and South Asian Communities came together at Victoria Park for a vigil in memory of those lost in the Air India crash (Brent Lale/CTV News London) The aircraft was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, a widebody, twin-engine plane. This is the first Dreamliner crash since it went into service in 2009, according to the Aviation Safety Network database. Indian conglomerate, Tata Sons, took over Air India in 2022, returning the debt-saddled carrier to private ownership after decades of government control. 'We decided from our organization to help in India locally for $25,000,' said Patel. 'For daily necessity stuff. We are supporting the needy people'. Patel said the local Indian community all migrated here and established new lives. 'We try to keep our heritage and what's going on in India?' said Patel. 'We keep our values and everything. The people like the doctors and lots of people lost their lives over there, so it's a very black, sadness day for each and every one.' The vigil saw many members of the community come and go to pay their respects over the afternoon. 'It is just basically to show the solidarity and unity and also just an excuse to pray for the departed together,' said Syed.
CBC
8 hours ago
- CBC
Remains of Air India crash victims handed over to relatives
Social Sharing Authorities have started handing over remains of the victims of one of India's worst aviation disasters, days after the Air India flight crashed and killed at least 270 people, officials said Sunday. The London-bound Boeing 787 struck a medical college hostel in a residential area of the northwestern city of Ahmedabad minutes after takeoff Thursday, killing 241 people on board and at least 29 on the ground. One passenger survived. Hundreds of relatives of the crash victims provided DNA samples at the hospital. Most of the bodies were charred or mutilated, making them unrecognizable. Rajneesh Patel, an official at Ahmedabad's Civil Hospital, said authorities have so far identified 32 victims through DNA mapping and their families were informed. The remains of 14 victims were handed over to relatives, he said. The victims' families waited outside the hospital mortuary as authorities worked to complete formalities and transfer the bodies in coffins into ambulances. Most of them have expressed frustration at a slow pace of the identification process. Authorities say it normally takes up to 72 hours to complete DNA matching and they are expediting the process. Among the passengers, there were 169 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese and one Canadian. Qasim Rashid Ahmed, a British national of Indian origin whose charity provided food and accommodation to the victims' relatives, said most of the British victims had relatives in Gujarat state and had given their DNA samples. Alongside the formal investigation, the Indian government has set up a high-level committee to examine the causes leading to the crash. The committee will focus on formulating procedures to prevent and handle aircraft emergencies in the future, India's Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a statement Saturday. Authorities have also begun inspecting Air India's entire fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said Saturday in New Delhi at his first news briefing since Thursday's crash. Eight of the 34 Dreamliners in India have already undergone inspection, Kinjarapu said, adding that the remaining aircraft will be examined with "immediate urgency." Investigators on Friday recovered the plane's digital flight data recorder, or the black box, from a rooftop near the crash site. Raw video shows Air India flight crashing moments after takeoff 3 days ago Duration 0:17 An Air India passenger plane bound for London crashed 5 minutes after takeoff Thursday in India's northwestern city of Ahmedabad, according to the airline. They say 53 British citizens, seven from Portugal and one Canadian citizen were among the 242 passengers and crew on board the flight. WARNING: This video contains graphic footage. The device is expected to reveal information about the engine and control settings, while the voice recorder will provide cockpit conversations, said Paul Fromme, a mechanical engineer with the U.K.-based Institution of Mechanical Engineers. The plane that crashed was 12 years old. There are currently around 1,200 of the 787 Dreamliner aircraft worldwide and this was the first deadly crash in 16 years of operation, according to experts.
Toronto Sun
9 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
Galapagos tortoise celebrates his 135th birthday and his first Father's Day at Zoo Miami
Published Jun 15, 2025 • 1 minute read In this image provided by Zoo Miami, Goliath, a 517-pound (234-kilogram) Galapagos tortoise at Zoo Miami, meets his first offspring on June 12, 2025 in Miami. Photo by Zoo Miami / AP MIAMI — A South Florida zoo's oldest resident celebrated his 135th birthday and his first Father's Day on Sunday. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Goliath, a 517-pound (234-kilogram) Galapagos tortoise at Zoo Miami, became a father for the first time earlier this month, zoo officials said. 'Goliath is my hero, and I am sure he will soon be an inspiration to many others!' Zoo Miami spokesman Ron Magill said in a statement. 'He is living proof that where there is a will, there is a way and to never give up!' One egg out of a clutch of eight laid on Jan. 27 successfully hatched on June 4, officials said. Besides being Goliath's first offspring, it's also the first time one of the endangered reptiles has hatched at Zoo Miami. The animals' numbers were drastically reduced before the 20th century by human exploitation and the introduction of invasive species to the Galapagos Islands. Modern threats include climate change and habitat loss. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. According to Goliath's official record, he hatched on the island of Santa Cruz in the Galapagos on June 15, between 1885 and 1890. The island group is located near the equator in the Pacific Ocean, several hundred miles west of mainland Ecuador. Goliath arrived at the Bronx Zoo in 1929 and moved to Zoo Miami in 1981. He has bred with several different females during his time at Zoo Miami, but he has never sired an offspring. The new hatchling's mother, Sweet Pea, is estimated to be between 85 and 100 years old. Both parents are doing well in their public habitat, officials said. The hatchling appears to be healthy in a separate enclosure. Wild hatchlings are not raised by their parents. Sports Sunshine Girls Editorial Cartoons Toronto & GTA Relationships
