The United Kingdom and India are united of their grief for all these impacted by the Ahmedabad-London Air India plane crash final week, Britain’s Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has mentioned.
At a multi-faith memorial service organised by India House in London on Monday (June 16, 2025), Ms. Rayner was joined by fellow parliamentarians, Foreign Office officers and members of the Indian neighborhood as they paid solemn tributes to the lives misplaced and efforts of speedy deployment groups on the bottom.
The occasion was marked by non secular reflections from all main faiths in addition to floral tributes by the various congregation.
“What struck me over the last few days is that the U.K. and India may be two countries separated by a vast distance, but in the ways that really count we are so very, very close,” Ms. Rayner mentioned in her tackle at the High Commission of India.
“We mark our bond today in a simple and profound way. We grieve together. I’d like to extend my condolences to everybody who’s here today, and beyond the High Commission. The UK is with you and will continue to support you,” she mentioned.
Air India Flight 171 sure for London Gatwick crashed final Thursday (shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad, with all however one among its passengers and crew among the many 271 useless, together with on-ground fatalities.
The Indian High Commissioner to the U.Okay., Vikram Doraiswami, expressed his gratitude for the UK’s assist by a time of “profound grief and abiding shock”.
“This tragedy brought home to all of us the suddenness with which life could be extinguished,” mentioned Mr. Doraiswami.
“Apart from a sense of shock and disbelief, we grieve for the 271 lives lost and the many, many more families and friends they leave behind. So many lives that have been deeply and irrevocably affected that it is hard to imagine how anything we may say or do can offer comfort,” he mentioned.
The commemorative gathering ‘In Everlasting Memory’ coincided with a debate within the House of Commons on the ‘Air India Plane Crash’, with Foreign Office Minister Hamish Falconer updating Parliament on the efforts being made to help British nationals impacted by the tragedy.
“With an Indian diaspora about 2 million strong here in Britain, and with a particularly prominent Gujarati community, we feel the pain of this tragedy together. It reminds us not only of the deep personal ties between our people but of the strength of our partnership with India — a partnership built on trust, shared values and mutual support in times of crisis,” mentioned Falconer.
His assertion famous the “pain and frustration” felt by households who haven’t but been in a position to lay their family members to relaxation.
“The Indian authorities are working around the clock, with UK support, on this. Unfortunately, these processes take time, but it is important that they are done properly to avoid causing more pain for families,” he mentioned.
Shadow overseas secretary Priti Patel pointed to reviews of British households claiming a scarcity of UK management and medical groups on the bottom in India.
“Last Thursday was a dark, sad and traumatic day for India, the UK and all those affected, wherever they are in the world. I am sure that I speak for the whole House when I say that we stand with them in seeking answers; in working to give them the support that they need; and in mourning the sad deaths of their loved ones,” mentioned the British Gujarati Opposition Conservative MP.
Mr. Falconer mentioned the Foreign Office groups “will learn lessons with each step” and that officers had been dispatched to help British nationals with consular help in going by the traumatic course of at hospitals in Gujarat.
“The family liaison officers and the consular staff on the ground are trying to stand with British nationals during some of their darkest moments, and their work is very hard,” added Mr. Falconer.
The ministerial assertion additionally reiterated that the Indian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) had accepted the UK’s supply of assist, and a staff of British inspectors are actually on website. “I will not comment too much on the ongoing investigation. It will be a complex operation, but I know that our Air Accidents Investigation Branch is among the best in the world and will do everything it can,” added Falconer.
Published – June 17, 2025 10:34 am IST
