A YOUNG couple from Croydon were among those killed in last week's devastating Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, it has been confirmed.
Vaibhav Patel, 29, and his pregnant wife Jinal Goswami, 27, died when their flight crashed just moments after takeoff on June 12. Goswami was seven months pregnant with the couple's first child, reports said.
The pair had travelled to Gujarat to celebrate their baby shower with family and friends. Their close friend Nirav Patel, who had known Vaibhav for over a decade, spoke of his shock at the news.
"The couple were in Ahmedabad to celebrate their own baby shower. It was on the 5 June. She was seven months pregnant. They were very happy," he told the BBC.
Patel and Goswami, who had been married for four years, had recently moved to Croydon from Southampton, where Vaibhav had previously worked at a Papa John's restaurant in Portswood.
His former manager described him as a "true gentleman" who "worked very hard and was a family man".
Nirav remembered his friend as someone who "always supported his family and friends", adding: "Vaibhav did not have a father, so he was the big son supporting the family back in India."
The funeral for both victims was held in India on Monday (16), with grieving relatives and friends gathering to pay their final respects.
Croydon Business Association expressed condolences over the tragedy, saying the incident had "profoundly affected the victims, their families and the wider community".
The Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner was bound for London's Gatwick Airport when it crashed seconds after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The aircraft lost altitude just 17 seconds after liftoff and slammed into a medical college hostel.
The disaster claimed 241 of the 242 people on board, plus at least 30 people on the ground. Among the passengers were 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian.
Only one passenger survived - 40-year-old British businessman Vishwas Kumar Ramesh, who was seated near an emergency exit and suffered serious injuries.
The tragedy has sent shockwaves across both India and the UK, marking one of the deadliest aviation disasters worldwide in a decade.
