‘They came after so long, and we lost them all': UK-based Syed family of 4 to be laid to rest in Malad today; picture-perfect homecoming ends in heartbreak
The Syed family, British nationals, tragically perished in the Air India AI 171 crash while returning to London after visiting relatives in India. Javed, Mariam, and their two young children, Zayn and Amani, will be laid to rest in Mumbai.
NEW DELHI: The bodies of British national Javed Ali Syed, his wife Mariam, and their two children, Zayn and Amani — all of whom died in the Ahmedabad-London AI 171
Air India crash
on June 12 — will be laid to rest at the Malad West Kabrastan near SV Road Dargah on Wednesday.
The Syeds, who lived in Kensington, London, had travelled to India to visit Javed's ailing mother and celebrate Eid with family in Mumbai.
The bodies were identified in Ahmedabad. The family will bring them to Mumbai after completing handover formalities.
Javed's cousin Saood Memon said the family had risen from humble beginnings in Malad to build a new life in the UK. "Javed moved to the UK 11 years ago, married Mariam, and became a British citizen.
They were living a happy, successful life there. The kids were their world," he said.
Mariam, 35, worked as a brand ambassador at Harrods, and Javed was a hotel manager at Best Western Kensington Olympia. Their visit to India was planned around Eid and their mother's treatment for a heart condition.
'They couldn't get a direct flight to London from Mumbai, so they travelled to Ahmedabad to board Air India's AI-171. That decision has destroyed us,' said Imtiyaz Ali, Javed's elder brother, who, along with their uncle Ayub Shaikh, travelled to Ahmedabad to identify the bodies and submit DNA samples.
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He added, 'We hadn't seen them in years. They came after so long… and we lost them all. We still can't believe it.'
Zayn and Amani, just 6 and 4 years old, are among the youngest victims of the worst single-aircraft disaster in Indian aviation history, which killed over 270 people, including those on the ground in Ahmedabad's Meghaninagar area.
In London, Mariam's sister-in-law Yasmine Hassan, 45, broke down while confirming the children's names. Speaking to the Telegraph, she said, 'We're not angry that there are no answers yet. That takes time. We're angry that no one from the UK has even reached out to ask if we're okay.'
She added, 'There were 53 British citizens on that flight. They are British — we deserve support too.'
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