Tragic twist as family's smiling selfie before Air India crash disaster emerges

Perth Now

18 hours ago

New details are emerging about the passengers and crew caught up in one of aviation's darkest days.
More than 240 people were killed when Air India flight 171 bound for London Gatwick slammed into a medical college hostel in Ahmedabad, in India's west, just seconds after take-off on Thursday afternoon.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: The lone survivor of tragic Air India plane crash.
Among the victims were 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian national.
Rescue crews continue to search through wreck and rubble for missing people and bodies, as well as vital clues that could explain what caused the Boeing 787 Dreamliner's downfall.
'Almost 70 per cent of the passengers were found in their seats, most of them had their seatbelts on,' a first responder said.
It emerged on Friday that the jet had been in Australia just days ago. Air India crash sole survivor Vishwash Kumar Ramesh has spoken about his incredible escape in the airliner tragedy which killed hundreds. Credit: Seven
There was just a single survivor from the Air India flight that was carrying 242 crew and passengers, including 11 children.
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a passenger positioned in seat 11A, is a British national who had been visiting family.
He walked away from the wreckage through a broken emergency exit and was able to speak from his hospital bed, having not sustained any major injuries.
'Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly,' he said.
Family told reporters that Ramesh had been seated next to his brother on the flight.
Ramesh said 'I don't believe how I survived'.
'For some time I thought I was also going to die,' Ramesh, 40, told Indian state broadcaster DD News.
'But when I opened my eyes, I realised I was alive and I tried to unbuckle myself from the seat and escape from where I could.
'It was in front of my eyes that the air hostess and others (died).'
Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, 60, has been identified as the senior figure on board the doomed flight.
Sabharwal had warned the plane was losing power just seconds after taking off.
'Mayday ... no thrust, losing power, unable to lift,' he radioed.
The veteran pilot, who reportedly has more than 8200 flight hours across more than two decades, was set to retire within months to spend time with his father.
'He was very reserved, disciplined. We used to see him come and go in uniform often, but he was a very reserved person,' a neighbour told The Indian Express. Komi Vyas, her husband Prateek Joshi and their three children. Credit: Supplied
Doctors Prateek Joshi and Komi Vyas, and their three children, were on board, preparing to return London.
They had snapped a selfie together on the plane, and were all smiles before take-off.
'It is with deep sorrow that we inform you that Dr Prateek Joshi and his family were on board the Air India flight that tragically crashed en route from Ahmedabad to London,' a spokesperson for Derby Hindu Temple said
Former neighbour Neil Ryan said the family was 'wonderful.
'The family were really unassuming, genuine kind people, honestly. It's heartbreaking,' he told the BBC.
First officer Clive Kundar was also highly experienced, with more than 1000 flying hours.
Bollywood star Vikrant Massey shared on social media his heartbreak over Kundar's death, sharing that they were close family friends.
'My heart breaks for the families and loved ones of the ones who lost their lives in the unimaginably tragic air crash in Ahmedabad today,' he posted on Instagram two his two million followers.
'It pains even more to know that my uncle, Clifford Kunder lost his son, Clive Kunder, who was the first officer operation on that fateful flight.' Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek and Jamie Meek were on board a London-bound Air India flight when it crashed shortly after taking off. Credit: 7NEWS
A wellness influencer couple from the UK were among victims of the crash.
Jamie Meek and partner Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek had shared a video to social media shortly before boarding in which they celebrated the end of their holiday.
'Going back happily, happily, happily calm,' Greenlaw-Meek said in the clip that has circulated widely online.
Meek's brother Nick said family had expected them to return home about 6.30pm on Thursday before visiting his mum to get his dog.
'She is not in a good way. It is all very raw for her at the moment,' he told the Independent.
A dentist has been identified as the only Canadian on-board the ill-fated flight that crashed on Thursday.
Dr Nirali Sureshkumar Patel was from Mississauga in Ontario, reported CBC.
She graduated from college in India before relocating, and was described as 'amazing, always happy'.
'The feeling that my work has made a difference in someone's life brightens my day,' Patel said in a work bio looking at her career.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was 'devastated' to learn of the fatal flight.
'My thoughts are with the loved ones of everyone on board,' he said.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he was 'saddened' to learn a Canadian from the region 'was among those lost in the tragic Air India crash'. Nirali Sureshkumar Patel. Credit: The Heritage Dental Centre
A young girl killed in the aviation disaster has been described as a 'ray of sunshine'.
Parents Akeel Nanabawa and Hannaa Vorajee, a couple known for their charity work, and their four-year-old daughter Sara had been on a surprise trip to India.
The headteacher of the school Sara attended said she 'lit up the classroom'.
'(The family) touched lots of people and they will be missed by lots of people,' Abdullah Samad told the BBC. Akeel Nanabawa with wife Hannaa Vorajee and their daughter Sara. Credit: PA
The Boeing Dreamliner with 242 people on board bound for Gatwick took off over a residential area and then disappeared from view before a huge fireball was seen rising into the sky.
Rescue crews have searched both the plane wreckage and are combing buildings at the crash site too.
Residents living in the vicinity said construction of the hostel for resident doctors was completed only a year ago and the buildings were not fully occupied.
'We were at home and heard a massive sound, it appeared like a big blast. We then saw very dark smoke which engulfed the entire area,' said Nitin Joshi, who has been living in the area for more than 50 years.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was briefed by officials on the progress of rescue operations when he visited the crash site in his home state of Gujarat.
Modi also met some of the injured being treated in the hospital.
'The scene of devastation is saddening,' he said Search and rescue teams respond to the scene of a plane crash in Ahmedabad, India. Credit: AP A UK-bound Air India plane crashed onto a medical college hostel with 242 people on board. Credit: AAP
The Wall Street Journal reported that an investigation into the crash was focusing on 'whether the aircraft had a loss or reduction in engine thrust', citing unnamed sources.
Air India has said the investigation would take time. Planemaker Boeing said a team of experts is ready to go to India to help in the probe.
The last fatal plane crash in India, the world's third-largest aviation market and its fastest growing, was in 2020 and involved Air India Express, the airline's low-cost arm.
- With AAP