Air India plane crash: Surat grandfather buries son, daughter-in-law; heads back to Ahmedabad to collect 4-year-old granddaughter's body
It was an unusual early morning for the people of Haripura in the walled city area of Surat on Wednesday when a large number of Muslims gathered to offer 'Namaz-e-Janaza' prayers for British citizens Akeel Nanabawa and his wife Hannaa Vorajee, who were among the 241 killed in the Air India flight crash on June 12.
The Gloucester couple was buried around 2 am Wednesday, after which their relatives returned to Ahmedabad to collect the remains of Sara, their four-year-old daughter.
Akeel (36), his wife Hannaa (31), and daughter Sara had flown from London to Ahmedabad and reached Surat on June 6, a day before Bakri Eid, to surprise Akeel's father Abdulla Nanabawa, a resident of the Haripura area.
A huge crowd of mourners — clerics, social workers, relatives, friends and members of the Bohra community — from different parts of Surat city assembled at Haripura on Wednesday early morning to pay their last respects.
Akeel's younger brother, Hamza, and their mother, Sajeda, also flew to Surat from London to participate in the final rites. Abdulla (62) had been in Ahmedabad since June 12 to receive the bodies of his son Akeel and his family. On June 16, the DNA test results for Akeel and Hanna were confirmed, while Sara's DNA test report arrived early on Wednesday morning.
Abdulla was inconsolable as his friend Rashid Shaikh, a social worker, and a few others tried to speak to him.
Talking to The Indian Express, Abdulla Nanabawa said, 'There are no words to express my feelings about my son and his family. We all enjoyed the Bakri Eid festival fully. We celebrated it with all the rituals. I dropped him at Ahmedabad on June 12 for his return flight back to London. His trip was short, but his company was memorable to me and will remain so forever.'
On the early morning of June 12, Abdulla Nanabawa booked a car from Surat to Ahmedabad, carrying Akeel, Hannaa, and Sara. After dropping them at the Sardar Vallabhbhai International Airport (SVPIA), Abdulla headed to Surat, where he learnt of the plane crash.
When Akeel and Hannaa were being laid to rest, Abdulla received a call from Ahmedabad Civil Hospital informing him that Sara's DNA had been matched. He and his friends left for Ahmedabad Civil Hospital at 7.00 am on Wednesday and received Sara's body; they are now on their way back to Surat.
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