Tributes paid to Britons feared killed in Air India plane crash

South Wales Guardian

a day ago

Air India confirmed 241 of the 242 people on board the Boeing 787 Dreamliner were killed on Thursday, in one of the deadliest plane crashes in terms of the number of British nationals killed.
Fiongal and Jamie Greenlaw-Meek, who run a spiritual wellness centre, were said to be among the dead.
The pair laughed and joked as they filmed a video of themselves at the airport before taking off.
In an earlier Instagram post they told of their 'mind-blowing' trip to India and their intention to make a vlog about it.
Mr Greenlaw is said to have appeared on ITV's This Morning earlier this year to talk about wellness.
Former editor of the show Martin Frizell praised his 'vibrancy' and 'enthusiasm'.
'So so sad to hear that Fiongal Greenlaw Meek and his partner are reported to be among the passengers and crew killed today on board the Air India flight bound for Gatwick,' he said in an Instagram post.
'I remember his visit to the studio in January, he was passionate about auras and although I'm a sceptical sort his vibrancy and sheer enthusiasm won folk over.
'And I know for a fact that he hoped to use his appearance on This Morning to build his wellness brand, he had a great future ahead of him.
'Thoughts are with his family and friends and those of his partner Jamie.'
The Greenlaw-Meeks were running the Wellness Foundry in London, which offers psychic readings, tarot, reiki and yoga.
The firm is included in Time Out's top places in the capital for tarot readings.
The Wellness Foundry also has a podcast called Spirit Level, which the website says is a 'guiding light on the journey to holistic well-being and spiritual enlightenment'.
The Gloucester Muslim Community group offered 'sincere and deepest condolences' after Akeel Nanabawa, his wife Hannaa and their daughter Sara were reported to be among the victims.
'During this moment of overwhelming sorrow, our hearts go out to all those left behind,' a statement said.
'No words can truly ease the pain of such a profound loss, but we pray that the family may find solace in the tremendous outpouring of compassion and solidarity from communities across the world.'
Abdullah Samad, Sara's primary school headteacher, told the BBC she was a 'ray of sunshine' who 'lit up the classroom'.
'We were praying, hoping they weren't involved because miracles can happen and our prayers are continuous but our expectations are also realistic,' he said of the family.
'They touched lots of people and they will be missed by lots of people.'
Raj Mishra, the mayor of Wellingborough in Northamptonshire, called for people to come together as he announced the deaths of three people from his community.
'Among those lost were Raxa Modha, infant Rudra Modha, and Ms K Mistri, all from our Wellingborough community,' he said.
'I extend my deepest condolences to their families, friends and all those affected by this heartbreaking event.
'May their memories be a blessing, and may we come together to support one another in this time of grief.'
Briton Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, is believed to be the only survivor of the crash.
Speaking outside the family home in Leicester, his brother, Nayan Kumar Ramesh, 27, said: 'We were just shocked as soon as we heard it.
'I last spoke to him yesterday morning. We're devastated, just devastated.
'He said, 'I have no idea how I exited the plane'.'
Mr Ramesh's older brother Ajay was also aboard the flight.
Another of Mr Ramesh's relatives, Jay, said the survivor spoke to his father after the crash and asked after his brother.
Jay told PA: 'After the crash he spoke to his dad worrying about his brother saying, 'Where's Ajay'?'