Latest news with #ElcinaAlpeshMakwana
Daily Record
13 hours ago
- General
- Daily Record
Heartbreak as first funeral held for Brit mum who died in Air India crash
Mum-of-two Elcina Alpesh Makwana, 41, who lived in Hounslow, London, has become the first British victim of the Air India plane crash to be laid to rest. The first funeral has been held for a British mum who tragically died in the Air India crash as the grieving family gathered to lay her to rest just hours after her remains were returned. Mum-of-two Elcina Alpesh Makwana, 41, was among the 270 people killed when flight AI171 to Gatwick came down in flames shortly after take off from Ahmedabad airport in India last Thursday. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner smashed into a residential, with most of the victims so badly burned they could only be identified through DNA, reports the Mirror. An investigation has now been launched to determine the cause of the crash while the bodies are being identified and returned to their families. Elcina had been visiting her parents in India and having dental treatment when she boarded the doomed flight. She was identified through DNA testing and just hours later taken to Pensionpora Cemetery Vadodara in Gujarat on Sunday morning for her funeral. Her husband 52, and her two children, aged seven and 11, had flown to India for the Catholic service. And her uncle Joseph Patelia told the Mail how she was a "gentle soul'. He said: "Before take-off, she called her father to say she'd boarded safely and would call again once she landed. That call never came. She vanished just like that leaving us in shock, in tears, unable to believe what we were hearing. It's been a nightmare for the family.' Mr Patelia also told how she regularly travelled to India and supported poor children in the country by pating for their education. He said: "She had struggled a lot in life, moving to London over 15 years ago, taking on part-time jobs to support her family there and her parents here in India. She had no brothers, so she took on every responsibility herself. Her loss is devastating. She was the bond that held our entire family together." A multi-faith vigil was held outside the Indian High Commission in Holborn, London on Sunday, where around 150 people - some travelling from as far as Leicester and Bradford - lit candles around the statue of India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. Photos of the victims, tealights and flowers formed a makeshift memorial at the scene. Nilesh Solanki, 50, from the City Hindus Network and Action for Harmony, told those gathered: 'When so many lives are lost in an instant, it's hard to comprehend – and we ask the question why. Families, hopes, friends, people – vanished. 'Without even knowing the individuals, we felt the pain of these families. Coming together in this way is really important – it's a lesson for all of us to reflect.' Organiser Pranav Bhanot, 36, a lawyer from London, said: 'We felt so helpless hearing about the crash. We wanted to do something about it. An air crash is always going to be quite devastating. We're only a small island nation – we had friends, parents on that flight. We wanted to do something special to remember and recognise them.' The Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed into a residential area in Ahmedabad shortly after take-off on Thursday. Most of the victims were severely burned, making identification difficult.
Metro
13 hours ago
- General
- Metro
Mum-of-two is first British Air India crash victim released to family
The body of the first British victim of Air India Flight 171 has been returned by officials to her family. Mother-of-two Elcina Alpesh Makwana, 42, had travelled to India for dental treatment and to visit her parents when she was caught in the aviation disaster. The telecom business owner had called her father to let him know she had boarded the flight and would contact him once she had landed safely at London Gatwick. At least 270 people have been confirmed dead after the Boeing 787 jet crashed after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport in India on Thursday. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Elcina's funeral was held today at the Pensionpora Cemetery Vadodara in Gujarat. Both her husband, Alpesh, 52, and their two children, aged seven and 11 flew out from the UK today for the Catholic service. Elcina's sister Anne found out about the crash in the news, their uncle Joseph Patel said. He told the Telegraph: 'She vanished just like that, leaving us in shock, in tears, unable to believe what we were hearing.' Elcina moved to London 15 years ago and worked part-time jobs to support both her family in the UK and her parents back home. Described as an 'incredibly sweet, kind and generous, a truly gentle soul' Elcina adopted two children and paid for their education. 'Her loss is devastating. She was the bond that held our entire family together', her uncle added. A total of 53 Britons were onboard the Boeing 787 Dreamliner bound for Gatwick, of whom all but one died. The lone survivor, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, was in seat 11A when he managed to escape from the burning wreckage. Many of the passengers were visiting family and friends in the UK or returning from holidays or family visits in India. Entire families were wiped out in one of India's worst aviation crashes. Sayedmiya Inayatali, 48, had been visiting his 90-year-old mother in India with his wife, Nafisabanu, 46, and their children, Waqueeali, 25, and Taskin, 22, when the crash happened. A relative from Wembley, London, who lived with the Inayatalis, had been preparing to pick them up from Gatwick until news of the crash emerged, tearing his 'life apart.' The family had posted a selfie showing them smiling moments before boarding the plane at Ahmedabad. Several passengers were travelling on to Leicester, home to one of the largest Indian communities in the UK. More Trending An investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing, led by India's Air Accident Investigation Bureau. One of the aircraft's black boxes has been recovered from the wreckage, authorities confirmed. DNA samples are being matched with bodies in order to identify victims of the disaster. Officials said that as of Sunday, 30 bodies had been identified with DNA samples provided by relatives. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: First picture of man, 30, shot dead in west London MORE: Boy who filmed Air India crash was trying to show friends 'how planes fly' MORE: EasyJet flight makes emergency landing after smoke smell on board
Daily Mirror
15 hours ago
- General
- Daily Mirror
First Air India crash funeral held as Brit mum first victim released to family
Mum-of-two Elcina Alpesh Makwana, 41, who lived in Hounslow, London, has been the first British victim of the Air India plane crash to have her funeral after her body was returned to her family The first funeral has been held for a British passenger who died in the Air India crash as the family of a woman who was a 'gentle soul' laid her to rest hours after her remains were returned. At least 270 people died when flight AI171 to Gatwick went down shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad airport in India. An investigation is now underway into what happened while bodies are being identified and returned to their families. Mum-of-two Elcina Alpesh Makwana, 41, was tragically one of the dead having taken the plane after visiting India to stay with her parents and have dental work. She was identified through DNA testing and just hours afterwards taken to Pensionpora Cemetery Vadodara in Gujarat on Sunday morning for her funeral. Her husband Alpesh, 52, and her two children, aged seven and 11, had flown to India for the Catholic service. And her uncle Joseph Patelia told the Mail how she was a "gentle soul'. He said: "Before take-off, she called her father to say she'd boarded safely and would call again once she landed. That call never came. She vanished just like that leaving us in shock, in tears, unable to believe what we were hearing. It's been a nightmare for the family.' Mr Patelia also told how she regularly travelled to India and supported poor children in the country by paying for their education. He said: "She had struggled a lot in life, moving to London over 15 years ago, taking on part-time jobs to support her family there and her parents here in India. She had no brothers, so she took on every responsibility herself. Her loss is devastating. She was the bond that held our entire family together." Meanwhile, candles have been lit around a statue of Jawaharlal Nehru as members of the UK's Indian community gathered to honour the victims of the Air India plane crash. About 150 people took part in the multi-faith vigil outside the Indian High Commission in Holborn, London, on Sunday afternoon. Mourners had travelled from as far as Leicester and Bradford to pay tribute, organisers said. The statue of Nehru – India's first prime minister and a central figure in the country's independence movement – was surrounded by flowers, tealights and photographs of those killed in Thursday's crash. Nilesh Solanki, 50, from the City Hindus Network and Action for Harmony, told those gathered: 'When so many lives are lost in an instant, it's hard to comprehend – and we ask the question why. Families, hopes, friends, people – vanished. 'Without even knowing the individuals, we felt the pain of these families. Coming together in this way is really important – it's a lesson for all of us to reflect.' Organiser Pranav Bhanot, 36, a lawyer from London, said: 'We felt so helpless hearing about the crash. We wanted to do something about it. An air crash is always going to be quite devastating. We're only a small island nation – we had friends, parents on that flight. We wanted to do something special to remember and recognise them.' The Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed into a residential area in Ahmedabad shortly after take-off on Thursday. Most of the victims were severely burned, making identification difficult.
