We grieve together: UK Deputy PM Rayner at vigil for Ahmedabad plane crash victims

London: The UK and India are united in their grief for all those impacted by the Ahmedabad-London Air India plane crash last week, Britain’s Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has said.

At a multi-faith memorial service organised by India House in London on Monday evening, Rayner was joined by fellow parliamentarians, Foreign Office officials and members of the Indian community as they paid solemn tributes to the lives lost and efforts of rapid deployment teams on the ground.

The event was marked by spiritual reflections from all major faiths as well as floral tributes by the diverse congregation.

“What struck me over the last few days is that the UK and India may be two countries separated by a vast distance, but in the ways that really count we are so very, very close,” Rayner said in her address 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 said.

Air India Flight 171 bound for London Gatwick crashed last Thursday shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad, with all but one of its passengers and crew among the 271 dead, including on-ground fatalities.  The Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami, expressed his gratitude for the UK’s support through a time of “profound grief and abiding shock”.

“This tragedy brought home to all of us the suddenness with which life could be extinguished,” said 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 said.

The commemorative gathering 'In Everlasting Memory' coincided with a debate in the House of Commons on the ‘Air India Plane Crash’, with Foreign Office Minister Hamish Falconer updating Parliament on the efforts being made to assist 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,” said Falconer.

His statement noted the “pain and frustration” felt by families who have not yet been able to lay their loved ones to rest.

“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 said.

Shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel pointed to reports of British families claiming a lack of UK leadership and medical teams on the ground 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,” said the British Gujarati Opposition Conservative MP.

Falconer said the Foreign Office teams “will learn lessons with each step” and that officials had been dispatched to assist British nationals with consular assistance in going through the traumatic process 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 Falconer.

The ministerial statement also reiterated that the Indian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) had accepted the UK’s offer of help, and a team of British inspectors are now on site.

“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.