A couple who went to India to celebrate their engagement was nominated among the victims of an Indian plane crash.
A Boeing 787 sailed to Gatwick on Thursday, killing more than 240 people when it crashed shortly after taking off Ahmedabad.
Prayers were held at Shree Hanuman Temple in Leicester to remember the victims, including the engaged couple Hardik Avaiya and Vibhooti Patel.
The couple’s friends were those who paid tribute, one of them said, “Hardik was like my little brother, and Vibhooti was like my little sister.”
The plane crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad Airport in western India with 242 people.
There are 169 Indian nationals, 53 British, 7 Portuguese nationals and 1 Canadian.
A large number of people came to the temple to pay tribute [BBC]
The Leicester Temple held a hymn festival to pray for all victims and reach an agreement with the tragedy.
Friends of the couple said Ms Patel was a physical therapist and Mr Avaiya worked in the warehouse
The secretary of Melton Road Temple described Mr. Avaiya, known as “model devotee and volunteer.”
Dhaval Patel, who works with Mr Avaiya, said: “When I got the call, we were on the way to pick him up and said that the plane to Gatwick crashed in Ahmedabad.
“So we checked the ticket immediately and matched the flight number and we just cried.”
Staff said Mr. Avaiya attended temple events several times a week.
Mr Patel said: “He doesn’t like the focus, he just works in the backstage to get the job done.
“He is very happy and loves to joke. He is dedicated, hard and very happy.
“He is a devotee and a volunteer because he provides selfless services.”
“When he left, he asked the staff if they needed anything, and that’s the kind of person he was.”
When the temple staff heard about the crash earlier, news of casualties only appeared, only afterwards, and was confirmed by Mr. Avaiya's friend.
Mr Patel said: “We are absolutely destroyed, just like losing a family member.
“In an event like this, people gather together to give them respect and release some kind of release from the feeling of shock and distractedness.
“It’s a helpless, empty feeling, and usually if something goes wrong we can solve the problem, but it’s very difficult.”
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