Air India crash victims' family feel 'utterly abandoned'

BBC News

6 hours ago

The family of three Britons who died in the Air India plane crash are calling on the UK government to provide more support in India.Akeel Nanabawa, Hannaa Vorajee and Sara Nanabawa, aged four, were returning home to Gloucester when their plane ploughed into a residential area on Thursday.Akeel's brother, Hamzah, said they are yet to receive his body despite giving DNA and waiting three days with no further update. A family spokesperson added: "We're not asking for miracles – we're asking for presence, for compassion, for action. Right now, we feel utterly abandoned."A Foreign Office spokesperson said there is an advice helpline and a support centre has been set up near the airport.
The plane was carrying 242 people when it crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad airport, in western India, including 53 Britons.The sole surviving passenger was Briton Vishwash Kumar Ramesh.Mr Nanabawa said: "I need the UK government to come out by themselves, if they've given up all this big talk over in the UK, come out here and help."He added there is no UK leadership in India, no medical team and no crisis professionals stationed at the hospital.
"No one from UK has even reached out to me, my family, to my sister in law's family. Nobody has. So you're saying no one from the foreign office in the UK or here reached out to us at all, nobody," Mr Nanabawa said."They haven't done anything for us [or] what we wanted. You have to understand, this is the highest, highest incident in the UK's history of 53 lives, and we are now on day four."He added: "All I want is you guys to come and help and help my brother, my sister in law, my niece and all the other 53 people that were on that plane. "Come and help them, please. Because they are grieving. They are hurt. They haven't got anybody. They [haven't got any] structure, no structure at all."UK air accident investigators are already in India and are assisting the Indian authorities, and UK forensic experts are there to support, a Foreign Office spokeswoman said.She added: "Our staff continue to work around the clock in the UK and India to support the families and loved ones of all those impacted by the crash."We have set up a Reception Centre at the Ummed Hotel, near the Ahmedabad airport, and have a dedicated helpline to provide support and advice for the families and friends of British nationals - friends or family should call 020 7008 5000."If you are in India, you should call [phone] for support, including through in-person consular staff who are available to support families of British nationals, including accompanying them to the hospital."