Tributes to Welsh family reported to be on Air India flight which crashed
Tributes have been paid to a Welsh family reported to have been onboard the Air India plane that crashed in western India on Thursday morning. Businessman Akeel Nanabawa is reported to have been travelling with his wife and young daughter morning.
Family members told the BBC that Mr Nanabawa's wife Hannaa Vorajee, and their four-year-old daughter Sara were with him. The family, who were from Newport but currently living in Gloucester, were among 242 people onboard the flight which crashed shortly after it took-off from Ahmedabad airport.
The Gloucestershire Muslim Bereavement Council (GMBC) said it was "profoundly heartbroken" by the news, sharing on a post on Facebook: "During this moment of overwhelming sorrow, our hearts go out to all those left behind," reports WalesOnline.
"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.
"May their cherished memories provide comfort, and may they rest in eternal peace."
Abdullah Samad, headteacher of Sara's primary school, said the child was a "beaming ray of sunshine" who "lit up the classroom", reports the BBC.
Mr Samad, who is also imam at the Masjid E Umar mosque, told BBC News the family were on a surprise trip to India.
"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.
"They touched lots of people and they will be missed by lots of people.
"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.
A number of people have also been posting messages of condolence on Mr Nanabawa's Facebook page, where it states the 35-year-old attended Caerleon Comprehensive School.
Mr Nananbawa founded executive recruitment agency Rec2Go.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was carrying over 240 people from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick when it crashed into a medical college, triggering a massive fire. You can stay updated on the latest news about the crash here.
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh who is a 40-year-old British national is believed to be the sole survivor.
Air India confirmed the flight was carrying 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, one Canadian, and seven Portuguese passengers.
Tata Group, which owns Air India, announced it will provide compensation of around £86,000 to the families of those who died.
It also pledged to cover medical expenses for the injured and assist with rebuilding the medical college.
Other British travellers confirmed to have been onboard include two men named as couple Fiongal and Jamie Greenlaw-Meek.
They are understood to have run a spiritual wellness centre, and spoke of their "magical experience" in India in a heartbreaking final video.
Fiongal said: "So it's our last night in India and we have had a magical experience really, there have been some quite mind-blowing things that have happened."
An MP has also said she believes "a handful" of Leicester residents were among those killed.
Leicester East member Shivani Raja told BBC News that people in the community she represents, which has a high population of British-Gujaratis, were "all really horrified and devastated waking up to such tragic news".
She said: "So far my understanding is that there are a handful of Leicester residents who were on board that flight but I am still awaiting for official reports on that."
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Zaheera Nanabawa said Akeel Nanabawa, his wife Hannaa Vorajee and their four-year-old daughter Sara Nanabawa would be missed 'tremendously'. Mr Nanabawa ran a recruitment firm while his wife volunteered at a local Islamic school in Gloucester where they lived. Speaking with other family members, Ms Nanabawa said her cousin was the 'glue' that held their family together. 'We'd often have fun at games nights and even when the older ones of us were not there Akeel would make a lot of efforts to engage with the young people in the family,' she said. 'They were away as part of their trip to Singapore and Malaysia, before they went to India, and we had two family events and we all really missed them there. 'We could kind of feel the lack of their presence. 'This whole news is absolutely shocking and devastating for us, and it will leave a hole within our family, but we are together and with each other where we can kind of console each other. 'They were so young in terms of their age and they were lifted together. They are going to be sorely, sorely missed. 'But we feel that their legacy is really going to live on.' Ms Nanabawa thanked the many people who had offered messages of condolences since the news of Thursday's Air India crash. 'As Muslims we pray a lot and we were thinking about what type of prayers they made,' she said. 'That they were lifted together from this realm at the same time, there is a lot of comfort in that. 'We are going to miss them tremendously but hopefully they're together. 'That does give us a lot of peace because they were so closely knit together as a family. 'If Akeel had survived or one of the others had survived without the others it would have been devastating. 'We do feel that there is a peace with them being lifted together.' Ms Nanabawa spoke of the couple's generosity with their time and would help anyone in need. 'Akeel would give his heart out to anybody at any time for anything,' she said. 'If you wanted something he would be there. He would constantly be just trying to give you things, whether it be a phone number to somebody that can help you with your car or dentist abroad. 'We believe this is part of their giving in this world and may they recoup in the hereafter.' She added: 'We're all just absolutely totally in shock. 'But seeing people coming to the family home, seeing the messages of condolences, finding out the things that we didn't even know that they were involved in that they were doing, we hope will continue to bring them benefit. 'As a family and as a community we've been inundated with lots and lots and lots of messages. 'We know the impact of this is going to be far-reaching and far wide and we thank the wider community for their messages of support. 'It's an opportunity for people to look at their own lives and reflect and just think about the wide meaning of life.'
