The spiritual leader of a Hindu temple in Harrow in London, who knew 20 of the victims in yesterday's Air India plane crash, has said there is deep shock among his community.
Shri Rajrajeshwar Guruji said all 20 of the victims have prayed at the temple at some point.
Among them was former chief minister of India's Gujarat state, Vijay Rupani.
Speaking at the temple this morning,Mr Guruji said that he started to receive calls yesterday morning to tell him that something had happened an Air India plane to Ahmedabad.
He was aware of a friend of his, a priest, who had travelled from Gatwick to Ahmedabad a few hours before.
While he was initially relieved to hear his friend answer the phone it wasn't long before he started to receive information about who was on the Air India flight to London.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
"We lost an entire community. We lost good people who supported the charities here and supported the community" he explained.
Regular prayer services are being held at the temple to remember the victims.
Mr Guruji explained that the London Gatwick to Ahmedabad was a very popular route because it was a direct flight.
"Many people, not only Hindu community, entire community, they are just in a pause. Asking, what's happening, how did this happen? Still, the investigation is happening. So, the community in a shocking mood", he said.
