The first funeral of a British Air India crash victim has taken place just hours after her body was released to her family.
Mother of two Elcina Alpesh Makwana, 42, was visiting India for dental work and was staying with her parents. She is the first of 53 British nationals to die in the crash whose remains were returned by authorities.
Ms Makwana, who lived in Hounslow, London, was described as ‘gentle’ and incredibly hard-working. Her body was formally identified through DNA testing and taken to Pensionpora Cemetery Vadodara in Gujarat on Sunday morning for funeral rites.
Her husband Alpesh, 52, and her two children, aged seven and 11, flew out to India and arrived on Saturday ahead of a Roman Catholic service.
Joseph Patelia, her uncle, described her as a ‘gentle soul’.
He said: ‘Before take-off, she called her father to say she’d boarded safely and would call again once she landed.
‘That call never came. She vanished just like that leaving us in shock, in tears, unable to believe what we were hearing.
‘It’s been a nightmare for the family.’
He revealed that Ms Makwana, who previously ran a telecoms business with her husband, visited India regularly.
He added: ‘She travelled alone, and her husband Alpesh and their two young children, an 11-year-old daughter and a 7-year-old son, arrived here on Saturday.’
Paying tribute to his niece, Mr Patelia said she supported poor children in India by paying for their education.
He said: ‘She had struggled a lot in life, moving to London over 15 years ago, taking on part-time jobs to support her family there and her parents here in India. She had no brothers, so she took on every responsibility herself.
‘Her loss is devastating. She was the bond that held our entire family together.’