Britain’s Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rainer said that Britain and India express condolences to all the people affected by the crash of Ahmedabad-London aircraft of Air India last week.
Rainer along with other MPs, Foreign Office officials and members of the Indian community attended a multi-physical memory program organized by India House in London on Monday evening and paid homage to those who lost their lives in the plane crash.
In his address at the Indian High Commission, Rainer said, “For the last few days I have been thinking that there may be a lot of distance between Britain and India but in reality we are very, very close.”
He said, “Today our relationships are very comfortable and intense. We are heartbroken together. I want to express my condolences to all the people present here and outside the High Commission. Britain is with you and will keep supporting you. ”
Flight No. 17 of Air India crashed soon after flying from Ahmedabad on Thursday, in which 271 passengers and crew members were killed and a passenger miraculously survived.
Indian High Commissioner Vikram Dorawami in Britain thanked Britain’s support in this hour of grief.
Dorawami said, “This tragedy has made us all realize how sudden life can end.”
Along with this memory ceremony, ‘Air India aircraft accident’ was also debated in the House of Commons. Foreign Office Minister Hamish Falkner informed the Parliament about the efforts being made to help the British citizens affected by the accident.
Falkner said, “There are about 2 million Indians in Britain and especially the Gujarati community migrants, so we feel the pain of this tragedy together. It not only reminds us of deep personal relations among our people, but also reminds us of the strength of our partnership with India – a partnership that is based on faith, shared values and mutual cooperation in the time of crisis. ‘
Chhaya Foreign Minister Preeti Patel referred to reports in which British families claimed that Britain did not send medical teams to help in India at the grassroots level.
