Prayers held as plane crash deaths confirmed

A Hindu temple in Harrow offered prayers for those who died in the Air India crash

Prayers were held at Hindu temples across north-west London on Thursday evening following the Air India crash in Ahmedabad.

The London Gatwick-bound flight crashed soon after take-off from the city's airport in the western state of Gujarat, killing at least 241 people. One person - a British man - survived.

Some residents in London have begun to receive confirmation that their loved ones were among those killed, Harrow East MP Bob Blackman said.

Shri Rajrajeshwar Guruji, the spiritual leader of the Palmerston Road Temple in Harrow, said some of the victims had attended his temple for prayer.

"Today we are praying for them because it is the only thing we can give to the departed soul," he said.

Blackman said there were four workers at temples in his constituency who had been notified that their relatives had died.

"We also know that there are 169 Indian nationals on the flight who are almost certainly visiting family and friends in the United Kingdom, but we don't know where they were visiting or who they were visiting, what part of their family was, so a lot of the work that's going on right now is to identify who those people are and who they're visiting," he added.

Navin Shah CBE, formerly the chair of the London Assembly, who also attended the prayers in Harrow, said: "I feel shock and disbelief.

"To me it is home, the air crash happened in an area that is largely residential - I spent my early years there."

Bharti Vyas, who was at the temple on Thursday evening, added: "It's a really big loss for us and we all know a person.

"It's really, really painful."

Tarun Patel says the disaster will hit the Gujarati community in London especially hard

Tarun Patel, a spokesperson for the Neasden Temple, said the tragedy would have a particular impact on the Gujarati communities London, many of whom live in Harrow, Brent and Hounslow.

"When we heard it this morning, it was one of disbelief," he said.

"It took time to really understand what's happening, and when it sunk in, it was very sad, devastating. Innocent lives affected."

Flowers were laid outside India House in central London

While those who attend his temple does include a high proportion of Gujarati people, he said he was not aware of any in his congregation who were on the flight but that "the situation is very fluid".

"That's not to say that members are not affected. I think it's a bit more than just people within this congregation... people at large have lost family and friends, and for that we feel their sorrow."

He said his temple, and likely others across London and the UK, would continue holding opportunities to come together and pray for the "innocent lives lost".

Among the confirmed victims is Vijay Rupani, the former chief minister of the Gujarat state, according to local media.

Suresh Mangalagiri, a family friend, told BBC London the politician has a daughter who lives in Hounslow, west London.

"It's shocking news for everyone," he said. "They had a plan for holidays for two weeks here."

He added: "No one expected this kind of incident would happen."

'Our community stories'

Lovina Shenoy said she had seen solidarity across the 38,000-strong Indian diaspora network she founded in London.

"Within 15 minutes of the news coming out, our WhatsApp groups became very active with members just sharing their feelings," she said.

Ms Shenoy said it "came as quite a shock" and some members of the network reported having family and friends on the flight.

She said one member had lost a classmate who was travelling with his wife and daughter to reunite with their son studying in the UK.

"These are not distant stories, they are our community stories. They are reminders of how fragile life is and how deeply connected we all are," she added.

As her network is spread all over the UK, she said they held a minute silence at 19:00 BST to "honour every life lost, and to pray for strength and healing for the grieving families".