Latest news with #A171
Metro
20 hours ago
- Metro
Air India crash: Families' anger at 'delays' in getting bodies of loved ones
Dozens of anxious family members have been waiting to collect the bodies of loved ones killed in the Air India flight A171. Doctors have been working overtime to collect DNA and dental samples from the 241 victims onboard the plane before releasing their bodies to families, but three days on from the crash, tensions are rising. Rafiq Abdul Hafiz Memon, who lost four relatives in the incident, said he was not getting any answers from authorities and was 'hassled'. 'We have lost our children… we are not understanding anything. Please help us get information about our children. Tell us when they are going to release their bodies,' Memon said. Another father was upset about not being able to get the body of his son, Harshad Patel, saying he was told by authorities it would take 72 hours for DNA profiling. 'The authorities are trying to help, but our patience is running out,' he said. Most bodies in the crash were badly charred and authorities are using dental samples to run identification checks. Sort: Newest first Oldest first June 14, 2025 8:46 am Dental records of 135 victims used as medics work to identify bodies Jaishankar Pillai, a forensic dentist, told reporters on Friday they had the dental records of 135 charred victims, which can then be matched through reference to victims' prior dental charts, radiographs or other records. MORE: Billionaire who played polo with Prince William dies 'after swallowing bee during match' MORE: British family killed in Air India crash sent one final selfie to waiting relatives MORE: Passenger on Air India plane before it crashed shares video showing worrying defects
Metro
2 days ago
- General
- Metro
Sole survivor reveals what happened in final seconds before Air India crash
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The only survivor of the doomed Air India flight A171 has told local media that the lights onboard flickered before the fatal crash. 40-year-old British man Vishwash Kumar Ramesh had been travelling back to the UK with his brother when the flight crashed just moments after takeoff. He said: 'When the flight took off, within five to 10 seconds it felt like it was stuck in the air. Suddenly, the lights started flickering – green and white – then the plane rammed into some establishment that was there.' Follow Metro's blog for live coverage and updates from the Air India crash That establishment was a hostel for local medical students and interns. At least eight of them have been confirmed as dead, in addition to the 241 other passengers on the plane. 'When I saw the exit, I thought I could come out. I tried, and I did. Maybe the people who were on the other side of the plane weren't able to,' he said. He added: '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.' Vishwash's family in Leicester are anxiously awaiting news on his brother, Ajay Kumar Ramesh, 45, who was in the seat next to Vishwash. Vishwash, who was sitting in seat 11a next to an emergency exit, said the section of the plane he was in landed on the ground, rather than hitting the roof of a building. Speaking outside the family home in Leicester, his brother, Nayan Kumar Ramesh, 27, said: 'We were just shocked as soon as we heard it. 'I last spoke to him yesterday morning. We're devastated, just devastated.' Investigators are trying to find what caused the fatal plane crash, the deadliest aviation disaster in almost a decade. One of the plane's black boxes has been recovered, according to local media, but the second has not been located. The black boxes will provide vital data recorded of the pilot's movements, the plane's condition and more in the moments leading up to yesterday's disaster. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video But questions have been raised about the safety of the aircraft after a video taken onboard the craft yesterday showed 'nothing working'. More Trending It is one of the deadliest plane crashes in terms of the number of British nationals killed and the first involving a 787. There are fears the number of people killed on the ground could rise. British couple Fiongal and Jamie Greenlaw-Meek, who run a spiritual wellness centre, were said to be among the dead. And the Gloucester Muslim Community group offered 'sincere and deepest condolences' after Akeel Nanabawa, his wife Hannaa and their daughter Sara were reported to be among the victims. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Ryanair shares warning over 'unfair' issue making holidaymakers miss their flights MORE: Passenger on Air India plane before it crashed shares video showing worrying defects MORE: Warning Boeing whistleblower made last year resurfaces after Air India crash
Metro
2 days ago
- General
- Metro
Passenger on Air India plane before it crashed shares video showing defects
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Questions have been raised about the safety of Air India flight A171 after a video taken onboard the craft yesterday showed 'nothing working' before takeoff. The flight was meant to land at Gatwick Airport last night, but crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad in India, killing 241, with the exception of one sole survivor. A new video taken inside what appears to be flight A171 shows a passenger filming his seat back screen, mentioning that the air conditioning wasn't working. Follow Metro's blog for live coverage and updates from the Air India crash 'There are so many people here,' the passenger observed. 'The TVs aren't working at all. 'Nothing is working. Not even the light is working,' he added. The video comes after the sole survivor of the crash, 40-year-old British man Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, said the lights flickered before the plane crashed. It's still unclear what caused the fatal crash, but a warning made by a Boeing engineer turned whistleblower has resurfaced after the deadly accident. Last year, Sam Salehpour said Boeing 'took shortcuts' when making the Dreamliner jets, which he said could become 'catastrophic'. Federal authorities say they're investigating Boeing after a whistleblower repeatedly raised concerns with two widebody jet models and claimed the company retaliated against him. His complaint reportedly focused on two issues, which he said could 'dramatically' reduce the life of the plane. 'I am doing this not because I want Boeing to fail, but because I want it to succeed and prevent crashes from happening,' he told CNN in 2024. 'The truth is, Boeing can't keep going the way it is. It needs to do a little bit better, I think.' Air India was founded in 1932 and has had a number of years of safe flights, but many instances of accidents as well. In 2020, an Air India repatriation flight overran the runway and lost control, killing 21 people. In 2010, Air India Flight 812 overshot the runway and burst into flames, killing 158. More Trending Recent analysis by the PA news agency found it was the worst airline for delays to flights from UK airports last year, with planes taking off by an average of more than 45 minutes later than scheduled. The airline has gained a poor reputation for delays and cancellations in recent years, partly caused by a lack of funds to purchase spare aircraft parts, which led to some of its fleet being grounded. In recent years, however, Air India was acquired by Tata Group from the Indian government after racking up billions of pounds of losses. The airline's UK operations are at Birmingham, Gatwick and Heathrow, with routes to a number of Indian cities such as Ahmedabad, Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Sole survivor reveals what happens in final seconds before Air India plane crashed MORE: Tom Fletcher apologises for 'insensitive' Instagram post after fatal Air India crash MORE: I missed Air India flight by 10 minutes – my mind went numb
Metro
2 days ago
- General
- Metro
Sole survivor reveals what happens in final seconds before Air India plane crash
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The only survivor of the doomed Air India flight A171 has told local media that the lights onboard flickered before the fatal crash. 40-year-old British man Vishwash Kumar Ramesh had been travelling back to the UK with his brother when the flight crashed just moments after takeoff. He said: 'When the flight took off, within five to 10 seconds it felt like it was stuck in the air. Suddenly, the lights started flickering – green and white – then the plane rammed into some establishment that was there.' That establishment was a hostel for local medical students and interns. At least eight of them have been confirmed as dead, in addition to the 241 other passengers on the plane. 'When I saw the exit, I thought I could come out. I tried, and I did. Maybe the people who were on the other side of the plane weren't able to,' he said. He added: '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.' Vishwash's family in Leicester are anxiously awaiting news on his brother, Ajay Kumar Ramesh, 45, who was in the seat next to Vishwash. Vishwash, who was sitting in seat 11a next to an emergency exit, said the section of the plane he was in landed on the ground, rather than hitting the roof of a building. Speaking outside the family home in Leicester, his brother, Nayan Kumar Ramesh, 27, said: 'We were just shocked as soon as we heard it. 'I last spoke to him yesterday morning. We're devastated, just devastated.' Investigators are trying to find what caused the fatal plane crash, the deadliest aviation disaster in almost a decade. One of the plane's black boxes has been recovered, according to local media, but the second has not been located. The black boxes will provide vital data recorded of the pilot's movements, the plane's condition and more in the moments leading up to yesterday's disaster. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video But questions have been raised about the safety of the aircraft after a video taken onboard the craft yesterday showed 'nothing working'. More Trending It is one of the deadliest plane crashes in terms of the number of British nationals killed and the first involving a 787. There are fears the number of people killed on the ground could rise. British couple Fiongal and Jamie Greenlaw-Meek, who run a spiritual wellness centre, were said to be among the dead. And the Gloucester Muslim Community group offered 'sincere and deepest condolences' after Akeel Nanabawa, his wife Hannaa and their daughter Sara were reported to be among the victims. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Warning Boeing whistleblower made last year resurfaces after Air India crash MORE: I missed Air India flight by 10 minutes – my mind went numb MORE: Air India crash: Search for second black box continues after PM visits wreckage site
