THOUSANDS of people in northern India braved a cold winter’s night on Saturday to ring temple bells and pray for a miracle after the space shuttle Columbia exploded on re-entry with an Indian astronaut on board.

INVESTIGATORS were last night focusing on Columbia’s left wing as they tried to determine what destroyed the space shuttle, killing all seven astronauts on board.

The remains of all seven astronauts aboard the Columbia have been found, Nasa said today, as the investigation continued into what caused the shuttle to disintegrate.

One focus of attention in the investigation into the tragic loss of the space shuttle Columbia is possible damage to its protective thermal tiles on the left wing from a flying piece of debris during lift-off on January 16.