Floral tributes in London, solemn ceremonies across Indian states mark shared grief after Air India tragedy
Members of the Indian community in the United Kingdom gathered outside the Indian High Commission in London on Friday to pay tribute to the victims of the devastating Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad. The emotional outpouring of grief reflected the scale of the tragedy that has united the diaspora and Indian citizens in shared mourning.
The crash, which occurred on Thursday afternoon, claimed the lives of 241 people aboard the London-bound Air India flight AI-171 — a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that went down moments after take-off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. Only one person is reported to have survived the crash.
Visuals from the Indian High Commission in London showed mourners laying floral tributes and lighting candles in memory of the victims. Among them was Kunal, a member of the Indian diaspora who hails from Gujarat.
“I am from Gujarat, Ahmedabad. We paid tribute to those who lost their lives in the London-bound Air India plane crash. I will pray to God to grant peace to all the departed souls and that this kind of incident never occurs again,” he told ANI.
The loss has reverberated through Indian communities globally. In the UK alone, 53 of the deceased were British nationals. The tragedy has deeply affected cities with large British-Indian populations, and many more tributes and candlelight vigils are being planned in Birmingham, Leicester, and Manchester.
Back home in India, spontaneous gatherings and official condolence events were held in several states, underscoring the nationwide grief.
In Haridwar, Uttarakhand, hundreds of locals and visiting pilgrims gathered on the banks of the sacred Ganga River to offer prayers. Priests performed traditional rituals and lit oil lamps as offerings for the souls of the deceased.
In Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, members of the Rameswaram People’s Protection Council assembled at Agni Theertham beach — a spiritually significant site in Hindu tradition — to pay their respects. The mourners stood silently facing the ocean, some holding placards and garlands in tribute.
In Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, King George Medical University (KGMU) held a solemn condolence meeting. Faculty members and students observed a minute’s silence, with university officials expressing solidarity with the victims’ families and the larger public affected by the disaster.
The crash has sent shockwaves through both the aviation community and the public. According to Air Traffic Control (ATC), the aircraft took off at 13:39 IST (08:09 UTC) from Runway 23. Shortly after departure, the pilot issued a Mayday call. Contact was lost moments later. Eyewitnesses near the crash site reported seeing the aircraft falter in the air before it nosedived and erupted into flames just outside the airport perimeter. Thick, black smoke blanketed the skies, and emergency services were deployed immediately.
Authorities have confirmed the nationalities of those on board: 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian. The lone survivor, whose identity has not yet been disclosed, is currently receiving critical care in Ahmedabad.
Air India has pledged full cooperation with ongoing investigations being led by the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The United Kingdom’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have also extended offers of technical assistance.
With both India and the United Kingdom in mourning, public and political leaders continue to respond. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and King Charles III have issued deeply personal statements of condolence. The British royal family will honour the victims during Saturday’s Trooping the Colour ceremony by wearing black armbands and observing a minute’s silence.
As investigations continue into the cause of the crash, the victims are being remembered not merely as statistics, but as individuals whose loss has left a deep void across families, cities, and continents.
