2 days ago
The heartbreaking final selfie of British family moments before they boarded doomed Air India flight - as more tragic tales emerge of victims including London temple that's lost 20 members
A British family who lost their lives on the doomed India Air flight took a final selfie to send to waiting relatives moments before boarding.
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.
Relative Shahid Vhora, 52, from Wembley, was set to pick them up from Gatwick Airport when he heard news of the crash, which is understood to have killed 241 of 242 passengers onboard flight AI171 on Thursday morning.
'I can't believe this has happened. I was preparing to pick them up,' the relative told Metro.
'They took a picture as they were about to board. They were so happy to be coming home.
'I had a text exchange with them about me picking them up at Gatwick, then nothing.'
Mr Vhora added that the family worked very hard, with 22-year-old Taskin studying to be a doctor while her brother worked in IT.
In what has been described as a miracle, sole survivor Viswashkumar Ramesh - seated in 11A - managed to flee the burning aircraft after it crashed, but his sibling sat on the other side of the aisle in seat 11J perished in the fireball explosion.
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
Members of the British Gujarati community gathered to pay their respects and grieve at the International Siddhashram Shakti Centre
Shri Rajrajeshwar Guruji, at the Siddhashram Shakti Centre in Harrow, London, speaking about plane crash in India after 20 members of his community fell victim to the tragedy
Today, it was tragically revealed 20 of the crash victims were connected to the same London temple.
The north-west London community, which uses a temple in Harrow, has been left trying to come to terms with the horrific tragedy and the loss of so many people.
Members of the British Gujarati community have gathered to mourn and pay their respects at the International Siddhashram Shakti Centre.
Spiritual leader Shri Rajrajeshwar Guruji told the Independent how the crash was a 'huge loss', adding that he personally knew 20 victims of the smash.
Mr Guruji, who has lived in the UK since 1993, said: 'I have good communication with the people there, and I woke up to see so many calls. There were messages to say there has been a crash.
'The day before yesterday my priest who works here in the temple had flown from Gatwick to Ahmedabad on the same flight. He was on the same plane that crashed but travelling on the way out.'
Mr Guruji also claimed one couple who died in the crash had already lost their only son in a previous aviation tragedy.
He added that the unnamed couple had been returning from a religious ceremony in India when the plane went down and crashed into a residential building.
Their son, a pilot, had lost his life in a crash in France a few years earlier, according to the spiritual leader.
A video posted to social media appeared to show the plane descending in a controlled manner with a high nose angle and landing gear deployed
Air India are looking at several aspects of the crash including issues with the jet's engine thrust, its flaps, and why its landing gear remained open, a source close to the investigation has said. The Government is looking at Air India's maintenance regime
Firefighters work to put out a fire at the site where an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane crashed in Ahmedabad
Meanwhile, tributes have been paid to a former headmistress who also died when the plane went down yesterday morning.
Panna Nagar was the headmistress of Northfleet Nursery School in Gravesend, Kent, for around 15 years.
The school said in an emotional statement: 'Today, we gather in gratitude and admiration to celebrate a remarkable leader, mentor, and friend who gave over 15 wonderful years in championing early years in her position as headteacher of Northfleet Nursery School from 2005-2020.
'Ms Nagar sadly lost her life on the Air India flight AI171 returning from a trip to India.'
Sole survivor Viswash, from Leicester, today described feeling like the Boeing 787 Dreamliner was 'stuck in the air' and 'came to a standstill' rather than climbing after take off.
Aviation experts have speculated that the flickering lights and other symptoms described by Viswash on board could be a sign of a power failure.
Air India are looking at several aspects of the crash including issues with the jet's engine thrust, its flaps, and why its landing gear remained open, a source close to the investigation has said.
The government is also looking at whether Air India was at fault, including over maintenance issues, the source said. The airline has been ordered by India's aviation regulator to do safety checks on its entire Boeing 787 fleet.
