
Families and couple among Britons feared to have been on doomed Air India flight
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Couples taking their children on holiday and wellness influencers are among the Britons feared dead after Air India flight AI171 crashed.
More than 260 people were killed when the Boeing 787 Dreamliner bound for London went down in Ahmedabad less than 30 seconds after takeoff.
The aircraft crashed into a medical college, tearing through a dining hall on the top floor, before breaking apart and bursting into flames.
Follow Metro's blog for live coverage and latest updates from the Air India crash
There were 242 passengers and crew members on board, Air India said. The sole survivor was Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, one of 53 British nationals.
The victims have not been officially identified, with DNA tests being carried out.
A Muslim community group in Gloucester identified three of the victims as Akeel Nanawaba, 36, his wife Hannaa Vorajee, 30, and their daughter Sarah, four.
The couple ran a global recruitment agency, with business partner Shoyeb Khan Nagori telling MailOnline: 'They were here to celebrate a family festival and to spend some time with Akeel's father.'
Many more Britons are feared dead including Javed Ali Syed, a hotel manager at the Best Western Kensington Olympia Hotel and his wife Mariam, the tabloid said.
They were with their two young children, Amani, four, and Zayn.
Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek and Jamie Meek, based in London, had been travelling in India before the crash and posted videos of their holiday on social media.
In a video posted on the official Wellness Foundry Instagram, the couple were seen waiting at an airport gate.
'We are at the airport, just boarding. Goodbye India,' Fiongal said. 'My biggest takeaway is to not lose your patience with your partner. We're going back happily, happily, happily calm.'
Greenlawe appeared on ITV's This Morning in January to talk about wellness.
The programme's former editor, Martin Frizell, praised his 'vibrancy' in an Instagram post, writing: 'He was passionate about auras and although I'm a sceptical sort, his vibrancy and sheer enthusiasm won folk over.' https://www.instagram.com/p/DKzsG71IJMY/
Widow Raxa Modha, 55, her two-year-old grandson Rudra, and her daughter-in-law Yasha Kamdar, are also believed to have been onboard. More Trending
The mother-of-three's husband, Kishor, wanted to spend his final days in India. After his death, Raxa was set to fly home to Northamptonshire.
Raj Mishra, the mayor of Wellingborough in Northamptonshire, said in a tribute: 'I extend my deepest condolences to their families, friends and all those affected by this heartbreaking event.'
Air India also said 169 passengers are Indian nationals, one is Canadian, and seven are Portuguese.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the crash was 'devastating', while his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, said it was 'heartbreaking beyond words'.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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Times
4 hours ago
- Times
Bristol student's ‘miracle' of missing doomed Air India flight
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ITV News
5 hours ago
- ITV News
Air India crash: What we know about the Boeing 787 Dreamliner
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Scottish Sun
5 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Devastated Made In Chelsea star pays emotional tribute to close friends feared dead in Air India crash
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) MADE In Chelsea star Alex Mytton has shared his devastation amid fears that his two friends have died in the Air India crash. Alex, 33, has penned an emotional message after learning that Fiongal Greenlaw and Jamie Meek were believed to be on the doomed flight yesterday. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 7 Alex Mytton's two friends are feared to have died in the Air India crash Credit: Instagram 7 Fiongal Greenlaw and Jamie Meek were believed to have died onboard the plane 7 The couple had attended Alex's wellness retreats Credit: Instagram The couple, who are known for being wellness gurus, had been enjoying a holiday together in India and had be due to return to London. Alex, who has hosted Fiongal and Jamie at his own retreats, has now spoken of his heartbreak in a message on Instagram. Tagging in his girlfriend Helen Wood, Alex wrote: "A bit lost for words and feeling a tad emotionally exhausted so I just want to write a short message so as to get the message out. "Our lovely friends Fiongal & Jamie were very sadly killed yesterday in the plane crash in India. "There's a lot more I want to say about them, as they were very close to @Hannah_woood & I's heart but right now I just wanted to say that if anybody wants to meet up tomorrow if they're feeling heavy, sad or just wanna hang out with some other humans I'm gonna be organising a little meet up & hug in the park or along the lines (sorry not making loads of sense atm). "It feels like there's a lot of sadness and pain at the moment and just wanted to do something as a vigil to our friends but also for everything else going on at the moment. "So please if you're feeling down or even just up for hanging out or just saying hey, it'll be a bunch of us just chatting and chilling in the park." The Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner with 242 passengers on board - including 53 Brits - smashed into a doctors' hostel in Ahmedabad in the west of India yesterday. The plane was headed to London Gatwick when it crashed just moments after take-off. Brit man, Ajay Kumar Vishwash, 40, cheated death after jumping off the flaming jet - walking away with minor injuries. He is believed to be the sole survivor of the catastrophe. Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary pay emotional tribute to This Morning star feared dead in Air India plane crash Earlier this year, the wellness brand founded by 39-year-old Fiongal and Jamie, 45, was promoted on This Morning. Fiongal appeared on the ITV daytime show earlier this year. Dermot O'Leary and Alison Hammond paid tribute to the couple at the start of Friday's episode. Dermot explained that Fiongal "appeared on This Morning twice this year" adding: "We loved his energy that he brought to the studio. "Fiongal was on board the plane with his husband." Dermot then spoke about how the couple shared videos online before they boarded plane. "Our thoughts and our prayers go to their loved ones and all those affected by this terrible tragedy." Former This Morning editor Martin Frizell has also shared a moving tribute. Sharing a snap of Fiongal posing with Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley from the show online, Martin penned: "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. "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." He continued: "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." 7 Alex and his girlfriend Helen Wood have arranged a vigil Credit: Instagram 7 The Made In Chelsea star says he is 'emotionally exhausted' Credit: Instagram 7 Alex and his girlfriend Helen were close to Fiongal and Jamie Credit: Instagram