Young families, the sole survivor's brother and tragic final selfies: The British victims of Air India plane crash

Independent

a day ago

A family of five beamed with joy from their plane seats, in a selfie they sent to their loved ones before takeoff.
Just minutes later they were killed along with more than 200 passengers when the doomed Air India flight 171 crashed shortly after takeoff.
More than 50 Britons were among the 241 people who died when their Boeing 787 Dreamliner near Ahmedabad Airport on Thursday.
Only one passenger from the Gatwick-bound flight has survived, with hundreds of families left devastated as footage quickly emerged on social media of the enormous fireball caused by the crash.
Details are still emerging by the hour of the different victims, as work continues in India to identify the remains, and inform loved ones of their losses.
What do we know about the victims?
The grieving husband who has left two daughters
A four-year-old girl and her eight-year-old sister have been left orphaned after their father died while travelling to India to scatter their mother's ashes.
Arjun Patoliya had travelled to his late wife Bharatiben's village in Gujarat to respect her final wishes to have her ashes scattered in a local river.
She had died last week after suffering from cancer, with the couple's children now losing both their parents within a week.
The brother of the lone survivor
British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh is believed to be the only survivor of the crash, having miraculously walked away apparently with only minor injuries.
He was travelling with his Ajay Kumar Ramesh, who is presumed dead along with the hundreds of other passengers on board.
Speaking outside the family home in Leicester, Jay, a relative of the brothers, said Vishwash spoke to his father after the crash and asked after his brother.
Jay said: 'After the crash he spoke to his dad worrying about his brother saying, 'Where's Ajay'?'
His other brother, Nayankumar Ramesh, also told ITV News that Ajay was on the flight.
'Even though he's [Vishwash] survived and it's a miracle, we're still waiting to hear about our other brother,' he added. 'I'll see you tomorrow' were the last words he said to me - I was supposed to be picking them both up today from Gatwick."
The doctor's family who took a final tragic selfie
Dr Prateek Joshi, a radiologist at the Royal Derby Hospital, was on the Air India flight with his family, Derby Hindu Temple said.
In a post on Facebook, the temple said the family were 'devotees of our Mandir and supported us through their sincere service and dedication.
'We pray to Lord Shiva to grant eternal peace to the departed souls and to give strength to the bereaved family to bear this immense loss.'
Smiling for the camera, the family of five sent a selfie to their loved ones after they boarded the plane, with their faces clearly showing their excitement to be on the way to London.
His wife, Dr Komi Vyas, had recently given up her job in Udaipur to join Dr Joshi in London, where he had been living for the last few years.
Widowed grandmother and her young grandson
Among those on the Gatwick-bound flight were Raxa Modha, who is believed to have been flying back to England for a memorial service for her late husband. She and her two-year-old grandson Rudra had boarded the Boeing 787 Dreamliner in Ahmedabad, which crashed just moments after clearing the runway.
Tributes have flooded in for the family, who were based in Wellingborough, with one friend telling the BBC that Ms Modha was a 'kind, generous, loving' and a 'real people's person'.
Raj Mishra, the mayor of Wellingborough, called for people to come together.
"I extend my deepest condolences to their families, friends and all those affected by this heartbreaking event," he said.
"May their memories be a blessing, and may we come together to support one another in this time of grief."
The 'widely loved' family from Gloucester
Tributes have also poured in for Akeel Nanabawa, his wife Hannaa Vorajee and their four-year-old daughter, Sara, who have been identified as victims by the Gloucester Muslim Community.
Sara was a 'ray of sunshine' who 'lit up the classroom', said Abdullah Samad, headteacher of her primary school.
He said the married couple were well known for their charity work and generosity.
'They touched lots of people and they will be missed by lots of people,' he told the BBC.
'They helped fundraise for the humanitarian efforts in Gaza and medical care for poor individuals in India. That was part of their service to the community,' he said.
Their neighbour, Gentian Cullhaj told The Independent that Sara would come to his house with chocolates and sweets from the parents to share with their own children.
Holding back tears while stood in his driveway, Mr Cullhaj said of Akeel: 'I would always see him in the morning, out with his kid. When you got your own children you really feel it, what's happened. We won't ever see them again… he was a good neighbour and an even better friend.'
The couple ran an outsourcing services business, Iceberg, with bases in both Gloucester and Ahmedabad.
The London couple who posted moments before the flight
A British couple who ran a spiritual wellness company are also believed to be among the victims.
Jamie Ray Greenlaw-Meek and his husband Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek, from London, were returning home on the flight after a 10-day wellness retreat, Jamie Meek's brother said. Their company, the Wellness Foundry, which is in Vauxhall, south London, offers psychic readings, tarot cards and aura readings, and has worked with Netflix, Google and Dior.
Its website says Fiongal founded the company in 2018 after experiencing a spiritual awakening following illness.
His husband joined the team in 2023 as co-director and head of events, and offered psychic readings and life coaching.
In January, Fiongal appeared on ITV's This Morning to talk about the meanings of people's auras. A clip shows him joking and laughing with presenters Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard before performing a reading.
On Instagram, the Wellness Foundry described the appearance as their 'biggest gig so far', adding that it was 'very nerve-wracking' but that he was 'honoured to chat about one of his favourite topics to such a big audience'.
As they waited to board their flight in Ahmedabad, the couple posted a video from the airport about their 'magical experience' in India.
The Harrods employee and her hotelier husband
A British family of four – Javed Ali Syed, his wife Mariam, and their young children, Zayn and Amani – were also onboard the Air India flight.
On her LinkedIn, Mrs Syed states she has worked for nearly a decade as a brand ambassador at luxury store Harrods, while Mr Syed worked as a hotel manager at the Best Western Kensington Olympia Hotel.
The family were reportedly returning home from a holiday in India.