Vigil for Portsmouth QA Hospital nurse who died in Air India crash
A vigil has been held for a "kind and compassionate" nurse who died in the Air India plane crash on Thursday.Renjitha Gopakumaran Nair had recently resigned from her job at Portsmouth's Queen Alexandra (QA) Hospital and travelled to India to submit documents for a nursing post in Kerala, where she planned to move back to.A vigil was held for her at the Mountbatten Centre in Portsmouth, as part of a sports day event organised by the Union of UK Malayalee Associations (UUKMA) - which friends said Ms Renjitha had been hoping to attend.Leena Furtado, who worked with her at the QA Hospital, said she was "very kind and humble" and her death was "the biggest loss".
"Once you meet Renjitha, there is no way you will forget her," she said."She was a very humble person with a smile on her face all the time."
She said there were "no words" to express the loss."When we heard the news, and when we saw it's her name especially, it was heart-breaking," she said."[We] can't express what it is we're feeling."
Eldhose Mathew, who ran a shop where Ms Renjitha was a regular customer, said her death was "unbelievable"."She was not just a customer - she was just like family," he said."She always came into the shop with a very good smile, and always was respectful and warm."In a eulogy read out at the event, Ms Renjitha's death was described as leaving "a deep void" in the community."[She was] a shining light in our community - a gentle soul whose warmth, kindness and humble presence touched many lives," it read."She carried with her the spirit of Kerala while building a life in the United Kingdom."[Her] life though brief, was full of meaning and love."
All but one of the London-bound plane's 242 passengers and crew members died when it crashed in a residential area in Ahmedabad shortly after take-off on Thursday.One of the UUKMA's leaders, Edy Sebastian, said Ms Renjitha had an elderly mother, as well as a daughter aged about 12, and a son, who was about 15.
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The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Air India plane crash latest: First funerals held as 30 bodies handed to grieving families
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Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
New video of doomed Air India flight 'shows Boeing 787 did lose power' just before crash killed 242 passengers and ploughed into residential area
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However, a clearer video has emerged of the crash, with higher quality visuals and sound, which Mr Schreiber believes could prove that a dual engine failure led to the plane's terrifying final moments. He said a tiny detail which can be seen on the new video is a 'total gamechanger'. Mr Schreiber explained on his Youtube channel Captain Steeeve that beneath the right wing of the aeroplane, he could see a 'protrusion on the belly of the aircraft'. Underneath that there is a 'little grey dot', he added. He said this is evidence of the Ram Access Turbine (RAT) deploying on the plane. A protrusion on the belly of the aircraft, seen in a newly emerged video, has provided evidence about the plane's final moments 'Many aeroplanes have it,' he said. 'It is just behind the wing on the right side of the aeroplane, there is a little door that holds it in. 'It looks like a little Evinrude motor, it's a little two bladed prop. 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'If you weren't looking at it, it sounded like a single-engine prop aeroplane just flew by. 'The RAT was originally designed as the absolute last resort, assuming there is going to be a dual engine failure at altitude. 'It is not designed for an aeroplane at 400- 500ft. But it is evidence for us.' His theory is that the crash was caused by a dual-engine failure. He added: 'It is evidence for us it was dual engine failure, most likely. It could have been electrical issue, it could have been hydraulic issue, it could have been either one of that. 'But I think the fact the aeroplane is mushing out the sky gives the idea it was a dual engine failure.' Alongside visual and audio evidence provided by the new video, Mr Schreiber believes the eyewitness report taken from sole survivor Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, provides the third clue to the plane's demise. The British national, 40, said that he was in India with his brother for the best part of a year and was returning to London, where his family live, on the Gatwick-bound aircraft on Thursday. He was seated in 11A on the doomed flight from Ahmedabad, which is said to be one of the worst in India's aviation history, having claimed the lives of 279 people so far. Among the victims believed to be dead, which includes 53 British nationals, is the 40-year-old's brother Ajay Kumar, 35, who was sat on the other side of the aisle in seat 11J perished in the fireball explosion. Describing what happened after take off in an interview from his hospital bed he said: 'When the flight took off, within five to 10 seconds it felt like it was stuck in the air. 'Suddenly, the lights started flickering - green and white. 'The aircraft wasn't gaining altitude and was just gliding before it suddenly slammed into a building and exploded.' It came after a passenger on the plane when it flew the day before the crash claimed that electronics on the jet such as the screens in the seats were not working. Mr Schreiber believes his short interview may hold another piece of evidence to explain the plane's demise. Wreckage of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner lies at the site where the Air India plane crashed in Ahmedabad, India, June 12, 2025 He explained: 'He said just prior to the crash, he heard a loud bang and the lights flickered on the inside of the aeroplane. 'We have got a guy saying he heard a loud bang and the lights flickered, what would cause that? The deployment of the RAT. 'It's going to take over electrical and hydraulic and as it does that the lights in the aeroplane would flicker. 'I have heard reports the captain got out a mayday call and he said they were losing thrust. 'That could be the fourth piece of evidence for dual engine failure.' The evidence that the crash could have been caused by dual-engine failure was ruled out by Aviation Herald - who reported on the crash from India. But Mr Schreiber said he thinks the publication 'probably got that wrong' based on the evidence he has seen. Although the evidence gives 'a lot more clarity' on the crash, he believes it also sends the investigation 'back to square one' because he has no idea why both engines on a 787 would flame out right after take off. The new video emerged as it was revealed to be the original footage of a clip that was shared around the world, which had in fact been a recording of a video on a person's phone. Mr Schreiber explained: 'The video that we all saw was a video of a video and the quality was extremely poor. The original is much sharper. What happened was some cameraman was standing in front of the screen watching the video play. You can see him at the end of it. The audio is not very good and the visual is not very good.' 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Captain Sabharwal, 55, was an experienced pilot with more than 8,200 hours of flying time and the son of an officer with India's civil aviation authority. He was the main carer for his father, now in his 80s and called him before taking off. The UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) announced on Friday night that four of its investigators had arrived in India and have expertise in aircraft operations, engineering and recorded data. The 'release of information on the investigation rests solely with the Indian authorities', it added. Air India said there were 169 Indian passengers, 53 British, seven Portuguese and a Canadian on board the flight, as well as 12 crew members. MailOnline previously revealed the British victims were Akeel Nanawaba, Hannaa Vorajee and their daughter Sarah, 4, Fiongal and Jamie Greenlaw-Meek, Javed Ali Syed, his wife and two children, Raxa Modha, her grandson Rudra and her daughter-in-law Yasha Kamdar, and Ajay Kumar Ramesh, the brother of the tragedy's only survivor.
The Guardian
9 hours ago
- The Guardian
‘We needed somewhere to mourn': Indian community in London keep vigil for victims
As the late afternoon sun streamed into a small square behind the Indian High Commission on Sunday, a crowd of 200 people gathered for a vigil – one of several held around the UK this weekend to remember those who died in the Air India disaster. Candles were placed beneath a bust of Jawaharlal Nehru and attenders listened to inter-faith leaders and members from the Gujarati community who had come to reflect on a shocking week of loss. Ridhi Sarmah-Kapoor and Olivia Gearson, two students whose fathers had travelled from Gujarat to London recently, laid flowers outside India House in Holborn. 'My dad frequently goes back and forth to India and he uses Air India,' said Sarmah-Kapoor. 'It gives it a personal connection – it's like these people are my family.' Gearson added: 'It needs to be honoured. There were parents coming back for their children's graduation – we're both students, it really hit hard.' Gujarati communities in the capital and other cities including Leicester have been gathering since the crash to commemorate the more than 270 people who died in one of the worst air accidents in Indian history. There have been remarkable stories, such as the Bristol student who missed the flight because she was held up in traffic and the miraculous tale of the sole survivor, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh. But the details of the lives lost – ambitions and hopes extinguished in an instant – all add to the sense of shock among British-Indians. 'We needed somewhere to mourn,' says Mayur Shikotra, who organised the vigil alongside Pranav Bhanot. Bhanot said: 'We're only a small community, many people are only one or two degrees away from the tragedy,. There aren't that many flights that come out of Gujarat directly, so it really could have been anyone. That makes it hit home.' Much has been made of the close-knit nature of the Gujarati community in the UK, a fact that has made the trauma personal for many. Narendra Thakerar was among a group of old school friends with Gujarati backgrounds who decided to come and remember those who lost their lives. 'I've flown three times in the last six months with Air India,' he said. 'It's a tragedy that no one prepares for, it's humbling and just a reminder about how fragile we are.' Bhanot said: 'It's really important that we find out what happened, we need the bodies repatriated and hopefully some compensation for loved ones – it's never going to bring anyone back but it'd be a recognition of what happened and the loss of life.' As well as grief, there was a desire for Boeing, the manufacturer of the aircraft, to be held accountable if it was at fault. 'My first thought is the Boeing 787,' says Thakerar, who is glad the fleet is being inspected by the Indian government after the disaster. Another member of the group, Mahesh Patel, said: 'The problem is when you're dealing with old planes that have been sold and resold and used and used.' There are more than 1,100 787s in service, with most major international airlines using them and its safety record in service has been good. Tata Group bought Air India from the Indian government in 2022 and announced plans last year to revamp and upgrade its fleet. 'None of us want this to happen again so there needs to be a thorough investigation,' Thakerar said.
