The coronavirus pandemic has caused a double tragedy in one Indian family, with the death on Wednesday of Sudhir Sharma, a 61-year-old frontline immigration officer at Heathrow’s Terminal 3, and that of his pharmacist daughter, Pooja Sharma, 33, the following day.

Nick Jariwalla, director of Border Force at Heathrow, said that Sudhir, from Hounslow in west London, “was a very well-respected, kind and experienced officer. He will be greatly missed by everyone”.

A family friend described him as “a lovely, lovely man” and said: “Every immigration officer is talking about it. There are concerns about his widow being unable to attend the funeral because of the isolation issues. It’s just so awful.”

The bodies of corona victims are immediately sealed in body bags which cannot be reopened.

Pooja, who worked at Eastbourne District General Hospital in East Sussex, is believed to have spent three days receiving medical care before passing away.

It is unclear whether Pooja caught the disease from her father and how he was infected in the first place. He had underlying health issues and had been off work since January 7, making it more likely he picked up the virus elsewhere. But he had returned recently to his duties.