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Couple killed in Air India crash had lost pilot son in earlier aviation tragedy
A couple who died in the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad on Thursday had already lost their only son in a previous aviation tragedy, UK-based news agency PA Media has reported, citing a London temple leader.
Rajrajeshwar Guruji, who leads the Siddhashram Shakti Centre in Harrow, north-west London, said the couple had been returning from a religious celebration in India when the flight went down. Follow LIVE updates here.
He told PA Media that their son, who was a pilot, had died in a crash in France several years earlier. The report did not identify the couple or their son.
'This couple had gone to India for a religious celebration – they were coming back and now this has happened,' Rajrajeshwar said. 'After what has happened to their son as well, it's just terrible to think about.'
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He further added that he personally knew 20 people who were killed in the crash and added that all were members of the Hindu community who had worshipped at his temple over the years.
He said that most of those onboard he knew were people travelling either to visit elderly relatives in India or to take part in religious events. Others had adult children studying at university in the UK and were returning from extended visits.
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'This is the most shocking news we have ever experienced in the temple's 25-year history,' he told PA Media.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft (AI171), which carried 230 passengers and 12 crew members, crashed into the complex of a medical college on Thursday afternoon. It had taken off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad.
One person survived the crash, while 241 on board were killed. Of the total passengers onboard, there were 169 Indians, 53 British, one Canadian and seven Portuguese nationals, apart from 12 crew members.
Aviation experts told HT that the aircraft's flight profile — descending while maintaining a nose-up attitude — might suggest a sudden and severe power loss. They cautioned, however, that while such a descent profile is consistent with engine failure, the exact cause cannot be confirmed until later after investigation.
