Vigil for victims of deadly Air India plane crash brings Londoners together in their sadness

London, Ont.'s South Asian community says it's standing united in its grief for victims of Thursday's deadly Air India plane crash in the Gujarati city of Ahmedabad, that has killed at least 270 people and injured dozens others. 

Various cultural associations from the diaspora held a vigil on Sunday at Victoria Park. Members of different religious faiths joinedto pray for those who lost their lives in one of India's worst aviation disasters in decades. 

"We've been together for the last 17 years in our happiness and our sorrows and this was tragic news, for not only the Indian community, but everyone is affected," said Shams Syed, president of the South Asian Association of London and Surrounding Area. 

"We really feel sorry for the families and the people left behind and we're all praying in our own ways. It doesn't have to be any religion or caste," said Syed, whose organization represents members from India, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal. Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

The Boeing 787 bound for London's Gatwick Airport struck a medical college hostel in a residential area of the northwest Indian city minutes after takeoff Thursday, killing 241 people on board and at least 29 on the ground. 

Nirali Sureshkumar Patel, a dentist from Mississauga, Ont., was among those who died. A British national was the lone survivor. 

As of Sunday, officials said they've identified 32 victims using DNA mapping and have started handing over remains. Most of the bodies were charred or mutilated, making them unrecognizable.

While authorities are still investigating what led to the fatal crash, hundreds of relatives of the victims have been providing DNA samples to identify the remains of their loved ones. On Friday, Indian investigators recovered the digital flight data recorder, or the plane's black box, from a rooftop near the crash site, they said. 

"Most of the people who died in the incident are Gujarati, and it feels really bad that this many people from one community died at the same time. Some of them were young kids and families so we feel sad that this happened," said St. Thomas resident Nimish Patel, who was at the vigil.  

Patel said watching people from other communities show up in solidarity has been heartwarming. 

"It's good to see everybody supporting, it's a good sign that people are together and it doesn't matter what culture or faith, we all stand together," he said. 

Attendees at Sunday's vigil offered their own religious prayers for the deceased souls. It was also an opportunity for everyone affected by the tragedy to find a sense of unity here at home, said Lakhwinder Kathuria, president of St. Thomas' Punjabi Cultural Association.  

"We are from different communities and have different ways to pray, so at least we can all pray for them in our own ways," he said. "We are all humans, it hurts our hearts when more than 240 innocent people lost their lives, it's really sad."

It's important for community members to come together and provide each other solace during this difficult time, regardless of their backgrounds, said Syed, who is originally from Pakistan. 

"If we are together, we can show our strength and we are a big large South Asian family and that's the strength of the community."