Khushboo Rajpurohit, 21, had set off to meet her husband in London for the first time since their wedding when she was tragically killed in the Air India plane crash
A bride who was meeting her husband for the first time since their wedding was among the victims of the horror Air India crash, it has emerged.
Khushboo Rajpurohit, 21, was on board yesterday when the Boeing Dreamliner plane tragically crashed and exploded shortly after take-off – killing her and 240 other people. Ms Rajpurohit, who was from a small village called Araba in Rajasthan, India, had married husband Manfool Singh, who studies in London, back in January. She had taken a smiling selfie with a relative at the airport shortly before take-off – but would never reach her destination.
READ MORE: Air India plane crash UPDATES: One of two black boxes recovered from wreckage
Also thought to have died is four-year-old Sara Nanabawa, who was travelling with her parents Akeel and Hannaa when the aircraft smashed into a doctors’ hostel in Ahmedabad, India. A family of five from Rajasthan who were relocating to London are also feared dead.
In one selfie taken seconds before take-off, Komi Vyas and husband Prateek Joshi, both doctors, were seen smiling as they sat on the aisle opposite their children. Joshi had moved to London a few years ago, and his family were set to join him.
Four medical students inside the struck building are believed to have been killed, along with four relatives who were in the building. One man – a British national – miraculously survived the disaster.
Crowds began gathering outside Vishwash Kumar Ramesh’s family home in Leicester last night after he was confirmed to have been hospitalised, with loved ones now hoping to get an update on his brother, Ajay, who is feared to have died.
“Vishwash is fine, but he’s not worried about himself at all. He’s just worried about his brother”, one relative, 27-year-old Nayan Ramesh, told Leicestershire Live.
On Friday, Vishwash was paid a visit in hospital by Narendra Modi. The Indian Prime Minister had earlier visited the crash site, and confirmed that his government had launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the disaster.
National media have reported that authorities will ground the entire Boeing 787-8 Fleet while the investigation is ongoing. Four members of the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) are being sent to assist the Indian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau with the probe, and will be given expert status due to the presence of British citizens on the flight last night.
Local officials working at the site said most of the bodies found were charred beyond recognition. A spokesperson at Number 10 told reporters yesterday to expect a “significant loss of life”, with over 50 British nationals believed to have been on board at the time of the crash.
Investigators are yet to determine the cause of the the crash, and there has no been update so far on whether search teams have been able to retrieve black boxes, which could hold vital flight data, and cockpit voice recordings.