Temple vigil held for India plane crash victims
Prayers were held at a Hindu temple in Lancashire for those who lost their lives in 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 at about 09:00 BST on Thursday, killing 242 people on board. One person - a British man - survived.
Crowds gathered at the Gujarat Hindu Society Temple in Preston on Friday to pray for those who had died and their loved ones.
Temple president Ishwer Tailor said he hoped the vigil would give people some "consolation".
Mr Tailor said Preston has a large Gujarati community and admitted he wanted to do something sooner than the weekend "with people being in shock".
"It is a catastrophe not just for people who have passed away but also for India," he said.
"We have had several people coming up to us and telling stories of some of their friends and relatives who have perished in this terrible accident and the stories keep coming."
He said the temple doors would remain open for all communities.
"Whole families have been destroyed. All we can do in this moment in time is pray and make sure we remember them in our prayers," he said.
There were 53 Britons on board the flight, along with 169 Indian nationals, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian.
One couple who died in the crash - 72-year-old Adam Taju and his wife Hasina, 70 - were described as the "foundation of our family" by their granddaughters, from Blackburn, Lancashire.
Additional reporting by Anna Jameson and Nishma Hindocha
Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Minister says black box found at Air India crash site as grieving families await answers
'Traffic saved me': Student missed Air India crash by just 10 minutes
'I walked out of rubble': Survivor on how he escaped Air India wreckage
What we know so far after Air India flight to London crashes in Ahmedabad
Gujarat Hindu Society
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
a day ago
- Hamilton Spectator
3 killed and over a dozen hospitalized as crowd surges at eastern India Hindu festival
NEW DELHI (AP) — Three people were killed and more than a dozen hospitalized Sunday following a sudden crowd surge at a popular Hindu festival in eastern India, a senior government official said. 'There was a sudden crowd surge of devotees for having a glimpse of the Hindu deities during which few people either fainted, felt suffocated or complained of breathlessness,' said Siddharth Shankar Swain, the top government official in Puri. Swain told The Associated Press that 15 people were rushed to a local government hospital, where three people were pronounced dead and the other 12 were discharged. Autopsies are planned for the deceased to determine the exact cause of death. Tens of thousands of devotees gathered in the coastal town early Sunday at Shree Gundicha Temple near the famous Jagannatha Temple to catch a glimpse of the deities onboard three chariots, Swain said. The coastal temple town of Puri comes alive each year with the grand 'Rath Yatra,' or chariot festival, in one of the world's oldest and largest religious processions. The centuries-old festival involves Hindu deities being taken out of the temple and driven in colorfully decorated chariots. The festival is one of Hinduism's most revered events and draws hundreds of thousands of devotees annually from across India and the world. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
UPI
2 days ago
- UPI
On This Day, June 28: Biscayne National Park established in Florida
On this date in history: In 1778, the Continental Army under command of Gen. George Washington defeated the British at Monmouth, N.J. A pair of saddle pistols used by the Marquis de Lafayette during the battle fetched nearly $2 million at a 2002 auction. In 1838, Victoria was crowned queen of England. She would rule for 63 years, 7 months. In 1914, Archduke Ferdinand of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was assassinated in Sarajevo, Bosnia, an act considered to have ignited World War I. In 1919, World War I officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI In 1969, the clientele of a New York City gay bar, the Stonewall Inn, rioted after it was raided by police. The event is considered the start of the gay liberation movement. In 1971, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the use of public funds for parochial schools was unconstitutional. In 1972, President Richard Nixon announced that no more draftees would be sent to Vietnam unless they volunteered for service in the Asian nation. In 1980, Biscayne National Park, previously a national monument, was established by an act of Congress. The park preserves Biscayne Bay and offshore barrier reefs in South Florida. In 1997, Mike Tyson bit off a piece of one of heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield's ears during a title fight in Las Vegas. In 2007, the American bald eagle was removed from the endangered species list. Officials of the Interior Department said the eagle, which had been declared endangered in 1967, was flourishing and no longer imperiled. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI In 2009, Honduran President Manuel Zelaya, rousted out of bed in the middle of the night by soldiers, was forced from office and into exile in Costa Rica in the culmination of a bitter power struggle over proposed constitutional changes. He was in exile for more than a year. In 2011, the International Monetary Fund's executive board named Christine Lagarde chairwoman, the first woman to lead the organization. In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the new healthcare law known as the Affordable Care Act. In 2016, militants opened fire and set off explosions at Turkey's Ataturk Airport, killing 45 people and leaving more than 230 injured. Turkish officials blamed the Islamic State. In 2018, five people -- four journalists and a sales assistant -- died after a gunman opened fire at the Annapolis, Md., office of the Capital Gazette newspaper. In 2022, Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison for her role in Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking scheme. In 2023, South Korea scrapped its traditional age-counting system, instantly reducing the age of citizens by one or two years in a move to align with international standards and reduce clerical headaches. In 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that enforcement of camping regulation laws against homeless people does not constitute cruel and unusual punishment banned by the Eighth Amendment.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
My Brain Has Been D-E-S-T-R-O-Y-E-D After Learning These Terrible, Disturbing, And Creepy Things
Are you into dark, creepy, and unsettling stories? Subscribe to the That Got Dark newsletter to get your weekly dopamine fix of the macabre! It's a scary good time you won't want to miss. Warning: Disturbing content ahead, including stories involving murder and extreme violence. 1.A hot-air balloon carrying 21 people crashed near Praia Grande, Brazil, on June 21, 2025, after catching fire mid-air just minutes into the flight. The pilot attempted an emergency descent and told passengers to jump; 13 survived with injuries, but 8 died — some from burns, others from the fall. Authorities believe a backup burner may have ignited accidentally, possibly worsened by strong winds. This is Brazil's deadliest balloon crash on record, prompting national mourning and an ongoing investigation. You can see footage of the disaster here. actor Mariska Hargitay revealed (in her new HBO documentary My Mom Jayne) that she was accidentally left behind at the scene of the 1967 car crash that famously killed her mother, Jayne Mansfield, when she was just 3 years old. After her siblings were pulled to safety, the rescuers did not realize Mariska was trapped inside the car until her brother, Zoltan, asked after her. The rescuers returned to the crash and found little Mariska trapped under the passenger seat, having suffered a head injury. Although Mariska says she has no memory of the crash, she still has a scar on her head from the tragic event. June 12, 2025, an Air India Flight carrying 242 people — 230 passengers and 12 crew members — crashed into a medical college hostel shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. At least 270 people were killed (including those on the flight and on the ground), making it one of India's worst aviation disasters in history. Investigations suggest a possible dual-engine failure was the cause. Miraculously, though, there was actually one survivor... ...Viswashkumar Ramesh, the sole survivor of the Air India crash, had been seated in seat 11A, an emergency exit seat. The part of the plane where he was sitting had landed near the ground (and was not crushed against the building). Ramesh told reporters that after the crash, he saw an opening and was able to unbuckle himself and get out before being engulfed in fire. Ramesh sustained burn injuries on his left hand, but was able to actually walk away from the crash, in shock, before he was assisted by locals and taken to a hospital. Ramesh's brother, who had also been on the flight but in a different row, sadly, was one of the many other passengers who died. Related: Most People Can't Make It To Letter Q Or Further In This Alphabetical Logo Quiz — Can You? August 11, 2018, at 3:28 a.m., the Pueblo Police Department in Colorado received a spooky "abandoned 911" call traced to a funeral home and cemetery. When dispatchers returned the call, the line was answered but remained silent, emitting only static. Officers were dispatched to the location, finding the funeral home locked and dark, with no signs of activity. Authorities speculated that the incident was likely due to a technical issue with the phone line, though the unusual circumstances led to some local intrigue and speculation about paranormal activity. February 2022, a woman in Green Bay, Wisconsin named Taylor Schabusiness gruesomely murdered, dismembered, and sexually abused the corpse of her lover, Shad Thyrion. Taylor had strangled Shad to death during a meth-fueled tryst in the basement of Shad's mother's home. Later, Shad's mother would find his severed head in a bucket in the basement. Taylor told investigators that she had "severed his head and penis with kitchen knives." During her hearing in 2023, Taylor actually attacked her attorney. And, in 2025, she attacked her second attorney during a preliminary hearing on charges of assault against a sergeant at her correctional institution. Taylor was convicted and sentenced to life without parole for the 2022 murder of Shad Thyrion. July 6, 1978, a deadly fire broke out on a sleeping-car train near Taunton, England, after a bag of linens was placed against a heater. Twelve passengers died — mostly from carbon monoxide poisoning while they slept — and several others were injured. Rescue efforts were hindered by locked doors and sealed windows. The tragedy led to major safety reforms on British trains, including fire-resistant materials, emergency exits, and improved fire detection systems. mysterious disappearance of Tammy Lynn Leppert, an 18-year-old model and actor, with roles in films like Scarface (1983), who vanished on July 6, 1983, after being dropped off at a parking lot in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Before going missing, Leppert had displayed signs of intense paranoia, claiming she had witnessed something disturbing at a party. Despite numerous theories — including foul play and possible links to serial killers — no trace of her has ever been found. Her case remains one of Florida's most mysterious unsolved disappearances. Related: If You Get 12/15 On This Honors Vocab Quiz, Your IQ Has To Be At Least 150 July 6, 1944, a fire broke out during a Ringling Bros. circus performance in Hartford, Connecticut, killing at least 167 people and injuring over 700 — most of them women and children. The blaze spread rapidly because the big top tent was waterproofed with a flammable mix of paraffin and gasoline. Panic and blocked exits made the tragedy even worse. The disaster led to major fire safety reforms and remains one of the deadliest events in circus history in the US. April 2019, a five-year-old, Landen Hoffmann, was thrown from a third-floor balcony at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. The perpetrator, Emmanuel Deshawn Aranda, told police he was "looking for someone to kill" due to anger over rejection by women. Landen suffered severe injuries, including skull and facial fractures, broken arms and legs, and brain damage. He underwent over a dozen surgeries and spent four months in intensive care. His recovery took more than three years. In a more positive conclusion to the story, Landen is now reportedly healthy and happy, with no memory of the incident. 10.A 14-year-old boy from Greenville, South Carolina, Will Hand, died suddenly from a rare bacterial infection called meningococcal septicemia on June 8, 2025. The infection, caused by the bacteria Neisseria meningitidis, entered his bloodstream and led to a rapid decline. Will died just a few days after symptoms appeared. Speaking with Fox Carolina, Prisma Health Pediatric Infectious Disease Dr. Anna-Kathryn Burch said, "This illness is spread through saliva and respiratory secretions. It can spread when people come into close contact with an infectious person or share items." Erick Escamilla, a 27-year-old transient man, was arrested for the April 2025 murder of an older man in the Valley Village neighborhood of Los Angeles. Escamilla allegedly broke into an apartment through a skylight and murdered the 53-year-old resident with a screwdriver during a burglary, before fleeing the scene. In a shocking twist, Escamilla was subsequently tied to and charged with the 2022 killing of an 81-year‑old woman in Woodland Hills, where she was stabbed during a home invasion and her home was set on fire, as well as with the attempted murder of a man stabbed during a home invasion in San Fernando that same year. 12.A 19-year-old in Arizona, Renna O'Rourke, died on June 1, 2025, after attempting a TikTok challenge called 'dusting' (or 'chroming'). The challenge involves sniffing computer duster spray to get high. O'Rourke suffered cardiac arrest and spent four days in the ICU. She was eventually pronounced brain dead due to 'sudden sniffing death syndrome." August 2004, a 12-year-old Boy Scout named Garrett Bardsley disappeared while walking just a short distance — roughly 150 to 250 feet — near Cuberant Lake in Utah. Garrett had been on an early morning fishing trip with his father when his feet and clothes got wet. He headed back alone to their campsite to change, but he never showed up. His father noticed him missing roughly 15–20 minutes later and then immediately raised the alarm. Despite extensive searches with hundreds of volunteers, no trace of Garrett was ever found. His disappearance remains a mystery, though most believe it was likely an accident. In his memory, his family founded the Garrett Bardsley Foundation to support search and rescue efforts and humanitarian causes. Easter Sunday, 2015, a woman named Victoria Cilliers went for a routine skydive at Netheravon Airfield in England. Horrifyingly, both her main and reserve parachutes failed to deploy, causing her to fall roughly 4,000 feet. Remarkably, she actually survived the fall, though she sustained serious injuries. Investigations later revealed that her husband, Emile, had tampered with both parachutes, deliberately causing the malfunctions. In a wild twist, it was discovered that this parachuting incident was actually the second attempt on her life within a week. Earlier, Emile had intentionally caused a gas leak at their home by loosening a gas valve fitting in a kitchen cupboard. Emile Cilliers was arrested and charged with two counts of attempted murder. In May 2018, he was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 18 years. June 4, 2025, a 15-year-old boy tragically died after being pinned between two vehicles in the parking lot of a prestigious private school, Campbell Hall, in the Studio City neighborhood of Los Angeles. The incident occurred during school pickup time when a Rivian SUV rear-ended another SUV, striking the boy who was walking between the vehicles. He was transported to a local hospital where he later died from his injuries. Five others, including another teen and three adults, sustained non-life-threatening injuries. The Los Angeles Police Department has determined the incident to be an accident, and no citations will be issued. May 2025, a 13‑year‑old girl in Russia, Anastasia Ryzhenko, was fatally injured during a PE class when a classmate, unsupervised at the time, threw a javelin that struck her directly in the eye. The young girl fell into a coma and died four days later, just shy of her 14th birthday. A criminal investigation is underway focusing on apparent negligence by the coach and lack of proper safety procedures. in 2017, a woman, only known as Yueyue, in China died after her husband "forced" her to have four abortions in a year because he wanted a son. Despite already having a daughter, he demanded gender-specific ultrasounds and pressured her to terminate each pregnancy when the fetus showed as female. This practice is illegal in China, but apparently, unlicensed practitioners often provide such services. The repeated procedures, of course, seriously harmed her health and left her bedridden. Her husband filed for divorce, and she used the settlement money to seek medical treatment in Shanghai, where she later died. Are you obsessed with reading content like this? Subscribe to the That Got Dark newsletter to get a weekly post just like this delivered directly to your inbox. It's a scary good time you won't want to miss. Also in BuzzFeed: This 30-Question Quiz About Your Life Will Reveal Your Entire Personality Type Also in BuzzFeed: I'm Sorry, But I HIGHLY Doubt Anyone Can Name 16/16 Of These Logos Based On Their Mascots Alone Also in BuzzFeed: 18 Facts That Are So Creepy, I Looked Around In Paranoia After I Read Them
