Auckland vigil held for Air India crash victims
A candlelight vigil was held at the Shree Radha Krishna Temple in central Auckland on Friday for victims of the Air India crash.
Photo:
RNZ / Gaurav Sharma
The Indian community gathered at Shree Radha Krishna Temple in Auckland on Friday for a candlelight vigil to pay their respects to the victims of the world's deadliest aviation disasters in a decade.
So far, there is only one reported survivor among the 242 people who were on board the London-bound Air India flight that crashed in a residential neighbourhood shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad's international airport on Thursday, according to
media reports
.
At least 290 people were killed once dozens of victims on the ground were included in the death toll, CNN reported.
Victims of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crash in Gujarat state included minors, local residents and people who were inside a medical college hostel when the plane struck it, according to media reports.
Air India said the dead included 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, seven Portuguese and one Canadian.
Rachna and Rozar Christian, an Indian couple who lived in Auckland between 2016 and 2021 before moving to London, had been identified as two of the victims, according to a
New Zealand Herald report
.
Around 150 people attended the vigil in Auckland on Friday evening, with members of the community expressing shock at the tragedy that had occurred.
Mark Mitchell, minister of ethnic communities, said New Zealand would offer to help the Indian government in whatever way was needed.
"It's a tragedy all round," Mitchell said. "This has impacted everyone heavily but no one more so than our Indian community here at home."
Mahesh Bindra, a former New Zealand First MP, said he had worked at Air India for 24 years, working at the airline up until he relocated to New Zealand.
"This tragedy is particularly painful for me and my family," Bindra said.
"There are about 35 families in New Zealand that have worked for Air India in some capacity or the other and I, on behalf of those families, offer my condolences to those families and to the brave departed souls."
Narendra Bhana, former president of the New Zealand Indian Central Association
Photo:
RNZ / Blessen Tom
Narendra Bhana, former president of the New Zealand Indian Central Association, said earlier in the day that the Indian community had been devastated by the news.
"The Indian diaspora collectively mourns the loss of lives in Ahmedabad," Bhana said. "Gujaratis - including me - form a large part of the Indian diaspora here in New Zealand and we all have strong family connections to the region. ... The impact is huge.
"We stand in solidarity with the people of Gujarat and all of India during this time of mourning.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured, the rescue teams and everyone working tirelessly to provide support on the ground."
Hitesh Dobariya, who lost a distant relative in the crash, said he had been in touch with his family in Ahmedabad since last night.
They were still in a state of shock, he said.
"Authorities have taken DNA samples yesterday to ascertain the identity of those killed," he said.
"While we know all but one person on board has survived the crash, we still need the official confirmation," he said.
"Now we wait for the official investigation to conclude and tell us what really happened."
Among the dead is former Chief Minister of Gujarat Vijay Rupani, who ruled the state between 2016 and 2021.
Ketan Joshi, a local journalist who runs the runs Gujarati news portal Apun Gujarat in Auckland, recalled working with Rupani during India's response to the Covid pandemic.
"[Rupani] was always known as the common man's chief minister," Joshi said.
"How well he managed one of India's most prosperous states during those challenging times will always be his legacy."
After providing support to victims' families and confirming casualties, attention would likely shift to the cause of the crash.
Shares in Boeing fell by more than 7 percent in pre-market trade Thursday.
For recently privatised Air India - the Tata Group bought the airline from the Indian government in 2021 - the crash comes as a huge blow as it embarks on shedding its decade-long image of a debt-ridden player in India's growing aviation sector.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the incident "heartbreaking beyond words", adding that he was working with authorities involved in the disaster.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the scenes were "devastating".
The United Kingdom had activated a crisis team in New Delhi and London, British foreign minister David Lammy said.
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