Wellness couple among Air India flight victims
Tributes have been paid to a couple with Kent connections who were among the 53 Britons killed after an Air India flight bound for London crashed on Thursday.
Jamie and Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek, aged 45 and 39 respectively, ran The Wellness Foundry in Ramsgate and London.
They were among the 242 on board the flight which crashed soon after taking off from Ahmedabad Airport.
Air India has confirmed there was only one survivor from the crash, which is one of the deadliest on record in terms of the number of British nationals killed.
The cause remains unknown and investigators are still searching for the two black boxes that will provide more details.
Follow live coverage
What we know so far about Air India flight AI171?
Who were the victims?
What could have caused Air India plane to crash in 30 seconds?
Jamie and Fiongal were due to be hosting workshops at Ramsgate Pride this Saturday.
Event organisers said on Instagram that they were "absolutely heartbroken" by the news.
Jamie grew up in Birmingham before moving to Liverpool at the age of 12 and then to Coventry four years later.
Pattisons, where Jamie attended school from the age of 16, said they were "saddened" by his "tragic loss".
Former principal, Elizabeth McConnell, said Jamie "lit up the room with his smile and I'm sure will be remembered and missed by so many".
Fiongal, from London, founded The Wellness Foundry in 2018 with Jamie joining as a managing director five years later.
The pair posted a video to social media on their last night in India, where Fiongal reflected on a "magical experience".
A family who lived in Gloucester were among the other British nationals thought to have died.
Akeel Nanabawa, his wife Hannaa Vorajee and their four-year-old daughter Sara Nanabawa were all on board the flight.
Adam Taju, his wife Hasina, and their son-in-law, Altafhusen Patel - who all lived in London - were also passengers
Of the 242 passengers and crew on board the plane, there were 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian.
The sole survivor, British national Vishwashkumar Ramesh who sat in seat 11A, is recovering in hospital. His brother has said that he "has no idea how he survived".
Families are currently giving DNA samples to help identify the remainder of the victims.
At least eight people who were not on the Air India plane have also died in the crash, a senior health official in Ahmedabad has told the BBC.
Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.
Who are the victims of the Air India plane crash?
What could have caused Air India plane to crash in 30 seconds?
What we know so far after Air India flight to London crashes in Ahmedabad
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Briton stranded in Jerusalem during Iran attacks says city ‘like a ghost town'
A British grandfather stranded in Jerusalem during a wave of Iranian missile attacks has described the city as a 'ghost town' and said he feels 'abandoned' by the Foreign Office. James Eden, 72, from Newcastle upon Tyne, flew to Israel on Monday for a short pilgrimage to visit Christian sites he first saw two decades ago. But what was meant to be a six-day trip turned into a crisis when air raid sirens woke him in the early hours of Friday when his flight home was cancelled following Israeli strikes on Iran and a barrage of retaliatory missiles. 'It feels very eerie, very strange – like a ghost town,' the grandfather-of-four said. 'Before, it was a hive of activity – cars everywhere, everyone having a good time. 'Now everything is shut down, just a few old people shuffling about. 'It feels a lot like the Covid lockdowns.' The retired accountant, who travelled with his Hungarian friend Miki Mogyorossy, 49, from London, said the pair were enjoying the warm weather and had visited key religious sites including the Sea of Galilee and the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial. 'We were only supposed to be here six days to see the sights,' Mr Eden said. 'At the time when I booked it there was no hint at all that this was going to start. 'The conflict with Iran has been on the table for 20 years – if you worry about it all the time you would never come here.' But in the early hours of Friday, he was jolted awake by an emergency alert – written in Hebrew – on his phone. 'I didn't understand any of it, but once we spoke to some Israelis they told us it was a warning,' he said. 'The sirens were going off outside – we all rushed out of our rooms but were quickly told to get back to bed. 'We gathered in the stairwell because there was no basement and stayed there for 10 or 15 minutes. 'Then we had another notification saying we could go back to bed.' By the morning, he said, 'everything was shut down – shops and offices all closed, restaurants all closed'. Mr Eden and Mr Mogyorossy managed to find one restaurant open after scouring the city. But as they were walking back to their hotel they saw a barrage of missiles coming across the sky. 'I was standing by a wall – the best place I could find – with a bit of an overhang. 'If any of those missiles had landed, there would have been a huge explosion.' A second phone alert from Israel's home front command, this time in English, warned of incoming rocket and missile fire. The notification gave just 90 seconds for the pair to reach shelter. He said he did not believe any of the strikes landed in Jerusalem, but described the sky lighting up with interceptors from the Iron Dome defence system. Footage taken by Mr Eden shows Iron Dome rockets taking out Iranian missiles overhead. 'I was shocked by the amount of missiles going over,' he said. 'Most people were in safe spaces. I didn't hear any explosions, just a lot of banging from the Iron Dome missiles.' Despite the intensity of the situation, Mr Eden said he remained relatively calm – but fears he will run out of medication. 'At my age I have to take medication and I only have two weeks' supply,' he said. 'Now my flight's been cancelled. At any time there could be another strike.' Mr Eden has been in contact with the British embassy but said he felt let down by the response. 'I've spoken to the Foreign Office – I've texted the embassy, given them my details,' he said. 'There is that sort of feeling that we've been abandoned – why has nobody rang me? 'I would like people to know I'm here. Just say 'we're on the case – give us three to five days, we'll come back'. If that was given, it would be good.' He added: 'The nervous energy takes its toll on you. I was enjoying myself, but now I want to go home.' 'A friend said to me, 'You should have listened to me – why did you go?' But this threat's been around for 20 years.' Despite the shutdown – he has still managed to find a restaurant that is serving a pint of Guinness. 'Somehow I've managed to find a pint of Guinness which I didn't think would be so easy,' he said. 'So it's not all that bad.'
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Yahoo
Woman, 28, Says She Missed Air India Flight Because of Traffic: ‘A Miracle'
Bhoomi Chauhan, who was visiting India on holiday, said she was caught up in a traffic snag while en route to the Ahmedabad airport She said airline officials wouldn't let her board the plane after she arrived shortly before departure time Chauhan's digital boarding pass showed she would've sat in economy class had she been on the doomed flightA woman from Britain said bumper-to-bumper traffic caused her to miss the Air India flight to London that later crashed, killing 241 people in Ahmedabad, India, on Thursday, June 12. In an interview with BBC Gujarati, Bhoomi Chauhan, 28, of Bristol, England, who was visiting India on holiday, said that when she arrived at the airport shortly before the plane's departure, airline officials would not let her board. "We left the airport and stood at a place to drink tea and after a while, before leaving... we were talking to the travel agent about how to get a refund for the ticket,' Chauhan told the BBC, adding that she received a call that the plane went down. The Boeing 787-8 aircraft bound for London's Gatwick airport crashed shortly after takeoff. The airline stated that at the time of the flight, there were 230 passengers and 12 crew on board the aircraft. "The passengers comprised 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, 7 Portuguese nationals and 1 Canadian national," the airline said in a statement via X. Of the 242 people on board the plane, only one person — a British man — survived the disaster, Air India said. "Air India offers its deepest condolences to the families of the deceased," the company further added. "Our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of all those affected, their families and loved ones." BBC News reviewed Chauhan's digital boarding pass, which indicated she as assigned to economy class seat 36G. "When I missed the flight, I was dejected,' she further recalled. 'Only thing that I had in mind was, 'If I had started a little early, I would have boarded the plane.' " Chauhan acknowledged how lucky she was to have missed the flight. "This is totally a miracle for me,' she told the outlet. In an interview with DD News from his bed in Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, reportedly the sole survivor of the crash, said, 'I don't know how I survived. I saw people dying in front of my eyes – the air hostesses, and two people I saw near me… I walked out of the rubble,' per the Hindustan Times. 'Even I can't believe how I came out of it alive. For a moment, I felt like I was going to die too. But when I opened my eyes and looked around, I realized I was alive. I still can't believe how I survived,' Ramesh added. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. On Thursday, Air India announced that it has established friends and relatives assistance centers at Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Delhi and Gatwick airports 'to provide support and take care of the needs of the families and loved ones of those on flight AI171.' 'These centres are facilitating the travel of family members to Ahmedabad,' the airline's statement continued. Additional reporting by Greta Bjornson. Read the original article on People
Skift
a day ago
- Skift
Airline Safety: A 2025 Gut Check
Flying is still safe, but high-profile incidents and more frequent close calls are leading to more anxiety from travelers. Air India Liveblog Ongoing coverage of the crash of Air India flight 171 from Skift's editorial team in India, Europe, and the United States. Ongoing coverage of the crash of Air India flight 171 from Skift's editorial team in India, Europe, and the United States. Get the Latest Updates Skift's coverage of the Air India crash is offered free to all readers. A series of aviation incidents this year — including Thursday's Air India plane crash — has created anxiety about flying. In the first six months of 2025 alone, there have already been three high-profile commercial plane crashes, and two of them were fatal. Along with the Air India crash that killed 241 passengers on Thursday, an American Airlines regional jet collided with a U.S. Army helicopter near Washington, D.C. in January. A Delta Air Lines flight landing in Toronto crashed upon landing in February. All passengers survived, but 21 sustained injuries. A Skift research survey conducted after the Air India crash found that 51% of Indian travelers actively avoided certain airlines due to safety concerns. Thirty-five percent of American travelers surveyed also avoid certain airlines for the same reasons, according to the survey. Despite the recent headlines, flying is still the safest mode of transportation, aviation safety experts stress. Fatal crashes are rare. Here's what to know: Why Are We Seeing More Incidents? While there hasn't been a significant uptick in the number of safety-related aviation incidents, they have become more widely reported in the media. 'Without minimizing the tragic events, I do think it's important for people to have some kind of perspective on the safety of air travel still despite these very noticeable and horrible events,' Kiernan said. 'Because it's so shocking, and truthfully also because it's so rare, it kind of dominates how people think.' And even though the cause of the Air India crash is unknown, preliminary findings show that the causes of the American and Delta crashes were different. The NTSB said in preliminary findings that helicopter traffic around Reagan National was a factor in the American crash. Canada's Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report that found that the Delta plane that crash landed in Toronto was descending too fast, according to NPR. Is It Safe to Fly? Yes. Just last year, out of the 40.6 million flights flown, there were only seven fatal accidents on commercial aircraft, according to the International Air Transport Association. The overall rate of accidents for flights was 1.13 per 1 million. Dr. Kristy Kiernan, a professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, said the airline industry puts a 'phenomenal amount of effort' to understand potential risks and hazards to avoid future accidents. 'The idea is that we don't just look at the disastrous events, but we look at all operations to see and identify hazards and proactively mitigate that risk,' she said. Are Boeing Planes Safe? Yes. While Boeing has received a lot of scrutiny for its safety and quality control practices, the company's planes are safe to fly. 'I can tell you that I would get on any airplane right now,' Kiernan said. 'I would put my kids on any airplane right now.' The aircraft involved in the Air India crash was a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which has one of the strongest safety records in the industry. Before Thursday's crash, there were no reported fatalities on the 787 since it entered service in 2011. The cause of the Air India crash is still unclear. Experts expect that a potential cause of the crash will be revealed relatively soon since the black box was recovered. Last year, a door plug suddenly fell off an Alaska Airlines 737 Max, which also revived scrutiny of the plane maker's manufacturing practices. Boeing's 737 Max aircraft was involved in two fatal plane crashes in 2018 and 2019. The crashes were linked to poorly designed cockpit software, and most aviation regulators had grounded the 737 Max at the time. The Justice Department also opened an investigation into Boeing over concealing certain information about the 737 Max to regulators. Boeing recently reached a $1.1 billion with the DOJ to avoid criminal charges. Boeing fixed the software issues and the 737 Max has been deemed by every major aviation regulator as safe to fly. 'That was successfully resolved to the satisfaction of every global regulator,' Kiernan said. Kelly Ortberg, Boeing's CEO has vowed to fix the company's culture and restore its reputation. He has previously told staff that Boeing can't afford to make another mistake. 'Clearly, we are at a crossroads: The trust in our company has eroded,' Ortberg said during an earnings call in October 2024. 'We're saddled with too much debt. We've had serious lapses in our performance across the company which have disappointed many of our customers.' What About Close Calls? In the U.S., there have also been numerous reports about so-called close calls at airports across the country since 2023. While the number of close calls has declined over the past decade, concerns about crowded airspace grew after the crash near Reagan National Airport this year. The NTSB asked the FAA to permanently restrict helicopter traffic around Reagan National in March. Kiernan said there are several reasons why close calls have become more frequent such as capacity constraints at airports and layout issues with an airport's runway that may make aircraft more susceptible to close calls. 'Travel really bounced back after Covid, and then we're looking at more and more airplanes in the same amount of sky, but the same amount of pavement and that there is a limit to that,' she said. What Is Being Done to Improve Air Travel? The U.S. has also experienced issues with an acute air traffic controller shortage, which most recently led to thousands of flight disruptions out of Newark Liberty International Airport. President Donald Trump has called for an air traffic control overhaul. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has also pushed Congress to authorize billions in funding to fix air traffic control. His plan, which includes replacing dated air traffic control towers, telecommunications equipment, and radars. The plan also includes installing anti-collision technology at 200 runways. Duffy's proposal is expected to cost at least $30 billion and he believes the fixes could be done within three to four years if Congress provides the funding. So far, the House approved a version of the 'Big, Beautiful Bill' that earmarks $12.5 billion in initial funding for air traffic control reform.
