Briefly: Christian volunteers from Vadodara to make 120 coffins

Volunteers from the local Christian community are racing against time, working tirelessly to build 120 wooden coffins to facilitate the dignified transport of remains of the victims. Led by father-son coffin makers Ardesh and Melvyn Rajwadi, the team has already completed 25 coffins by Saturday evening. Those involved in the work said volunteers are buying material with their own money and would not charge a rupee more than the cost of production.

Counsellors to help grief-stricken kin deal with trauma

New Delhi: The Gujarat Government will assign grief counsellors to families of the Ahmedabad air crash victims to deal with mental trauma, a senior official said on Saturday. Addressing a news conference, Alok Pandey, Relief Commissioner and Revenue Secretary of Gujarat, said 230 teams have been formed to coordinate with families of the victims. To avoid any administrative problem, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation will issue a death certificate on the spot.

Indian diaspora in UK coordinates fundraisers for kin

London: The Indian diaspora in London has been rallying around to coordinate fundraisers to support the UK-based family members of the Ahmedabad plane crash victims, including urgent assistance for two orphaned children. Arjun Patoliya, among the 241 victims, travelled to Gujarat to fulfil his late wife Bharti's wish to immerse her ashes in India after she recently lost her battle with cancer. Their friends and family launched an online GoFundMe fundraiser in support of their two daughters on Friday and have already raised more than half of the GBP 500,000 target.

King Charles leads a minute’s silence for crash victims

London: Britain’s King Charles III on Saturday led a minute’s silence in memory of the Air India plane crash victims after making last-minute amendments to his annual Trooping the Colour birthday parade, with black armbands commemorating the victims. The Buckingham Palace said the 76-year-old monarch wanted the alterations “as a mark of respect for the lives lost, the families in mourning and all the communities affected by this awful tragedy”.