2 days ago
Heartbreak as youngest named victims of Air India crash so far are revealed to be in British family-of-four - as relatives hit out at 'no support' from Foreign Office
Relatives of a British couple who died in the Air India crash alongside their two young children shared their heartbreak today - as they accused the Foreign Office of giving them 'no support'.
Harrods brand ambassador Mariam Ali Syed, 35, her husband Javed - a manager at the Best Western Kensington Olympia Hotel - and their children, Zayn, five, and Amani, four, were passengers on stricken Air India Flight 171.
Zayn and Amani are believed to be the youngest named victims of the crash so far.
Mrs Ali Syed's sister-in-law, Yasmine Hassan, 45, broke down while confirming the children's names, and pleaded with officials to offer more support to the families of the 53 British citizens onboard the flight.
'They are so small, they are five and four. And it's just thinking how scared they must have been,' she told the Telegraph.
'We're not angry about the lack of answers [from UK government officials] – we understand that takes time.
'We're angry because no one has reached out to offer support or even ask if we need anything. These are British citizens.'
The Gatwick-bound plane carrying 242 passengers crashed just moments after take-off from Ahmedabad Airport in the northwestern Indian state of Gujarat.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner careened back down to earth in the densely populated Meghani area of the city just minutes after leaving the runway around 1.40pm local time (8.10am BST).
Terrifying CCTV footage shows the plane appear to lose control before it starts rapidly descending with a high nose angle and landing gear deployed. It plunges into the ground and explodes in a huge fireball, as a massive plume of black smoke is seen billowing out from crash site.
Aviation experts say that the aircraft may have suddenly lost power 'at the most critical phase of flight' after takeoff.
A video posted to social media appeared to show the plane descending in a controlled manner with a high nose angle and landing gear deployed
The plane momentarily disappeared from view behind trees and buildings before a massive fireball erupted on the horizon in this horrifying clip
All but one person aboard Air India Flight 171 are feared to have died in the tragedy.
Also among them were Akeel Nanawaba, Hannaa Vorajee and their daughter Sarah, 4, Fiongal and Jamie Greenlaw-Meek, Raxa Modha, her grandson Rudra and her daughter-in-law Yasha Kamdar, and Ajaykumar Ramesh, the brother of the tragedy's only survivor.
The sole survivor, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who was seated in 11A, is also British and told the Hindustan Times he had lived in London for 20 years.
Vishwash's brother Ajaykumar accompanied him on the flight and was sat on the other side of the aisle in seat 11J, but he sadly perished in the fireball explosion.
Akeel Nanawaba, 36, his wife Hannaa Vorajee, 30, and their daughter Sarah, four, were flying home from a five-day family celebration when the Dreamliner crashed.
The successful young couple ran a global recruitment agency with offices in Ahmedabad and Gloucester.
Their shocked business partner Shoyeb Khan Nagori told MailOnline: 'I had dinner with them last night. They were a lovely family and Akeel and his wife were extremely successful people.'
Mr Nagori said he was too upset to find the words to describe their daughter Sarah who had spent time with her grandfather during the brief visit.
He said: 'They were here to celebrate a family festival and to spend some time with Akeel's father.
'Akeel was a really good man, I'm in shock, we were all having dinner together the night before.'
Jamie Greenlaw-Meek, 45, (right) and husband Fiongal, 39, live in London, run a wellness and healthy lifestyle company called the Wellness Foundry, and had been in India on holiday. They are also believed to have been on the flight
Mr Nagori was with hundreds of other relatives of crash victims waiting for updates at the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad.
He founded recruitment company Iceberg Outsourcing Services with Mr Nanbawa, who was the managing director.
Hannaa, a trained midwife, was head of finance with a sister company called Rec2go Ltd, also based in Gloucester.
Recently widowed Raxa Modha, 55, her grandson two-year-old Rudra, and her daughter-in-law Yasha Kamdar are all believed to have been onboard the ill-fated airliner.
Mrs Modha had been in India for some time fulfilling the dying wish of her ill husband Kishor who had wanted to live out his last days in his homeland.
Following his recent passing, the mother-of-three was returning with her family to their home in Northamptonshire when disaster struck.
In a twist of fate, Kishan Modha – the toddler's father and Raxa's son – had also been in India but was not on the flight as he was due to catch another tomorrow.
Speaking to MailOnline, a family friend said: 'It's incredibly sad, the whole family is already grieving Kishor's death.
'Kishan fortunately was getting on another flight, but we don't know what has happened to the others.'
Neighbours at the family's detached home in Wellingborough said Mrs Modha is a 'lovely lady'.
They said she had been in India for an extended period to support her husband who was battling an illness.
The respected businessman, who launched a successful catering business after settling in the UK in 1989, died on April 26. The family were due to hold a service in his memory later this month.
In a memorial for him, the family said he was a 'cherished husband' to Raxa and 'proud grandfather to Rudra, who brought him immense joy'.
The mayor for Wellingborough, Raj Mishra offered his condolences to the family on a post on Facebook adding it was devastating for the local community.
'I extend my deepest condolences to their families, friends, and all those affected by this heartbreaking event,' he added.
Police said they had found a lone survivor who had been sitting in seat 11A when Flight 171 crashed shortly after takeoff in India
British celebrity wellness guru Jamie Meek and his husband are also believed to have perished after they posted a haunting video of themselves at the airport waiting to board the Air India flight.
Mr Meek, 45, and husband Fiongal Greenlaw, 39, who live in London, run a wellness and healthy lifestyle company called the Wellness Foundry, and had been in India on holiday.
In a chilling final social media video posted from Ahmedabad airport as they waited to board their doomed flight the couple were dressed in flowery shirts looking happy at the end of their break.
In the clip, Fiongal says: 'We are at the airport just boarding. Goodbye India. Ten-hour flight back to England. What was your biggest takeaway Jamie?
Jamie replies: 'I don't know,' with his partner laughing and responding: 'Thanks for your contribution.'
Fiongal than jokes that his biggest takeaway was 'don't lose your patience with your partner' to which Jamie responds with a smile: 'You snapped at me at the airport for having chai.'
As other passengers mill in the background, Fiongal laughs at the camera and reveals that he is going back to Britain 'happily, happily calm.'
Mr Meek's brother, Nick Meek, told MailOnline: 'We were expecting him home tonight. He should have landed at 6.30pm and then driven up for about 11pm to get his dog who is staying with our Mum.
'She is not in a good way. It is all very raw for her at the moment. It's a lot to take in and we only heard this news a couple of hours ago.
'Jamie and his husband Fin had been out there for 10 days as a couple to do a wellness retreat.
'They both worked in holistics and had their own business.'
The caretaker from Birmingham said it was not the first time his brother had been to India but it was the first time they had gone as a couple.
He said that his brother and Fin had married in 2022 and lived in Ramsgate, Kent.
In other videos posted by the couple, they showed the stunning hotel they were staying in while in Ahmedabad having completed a seven-hour car journey.
The company specialises in tarot and psychic readings, reiki and other alternative spiritual therapies.
British father Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, was filmed walking out from the rubble after some how miraculously surviving the catastrophic crash.
Fiongal lies on a large bed as he speaks to the camera, showing off a giant swing in their room and describes the hotel as 'beautiful.
He beams: 'Feeling very, very happy.'
The couple captured the happy time they had in India in a series of social media posts.
This included getting henna tattoos, shopping for fine fabrics and other gifts and driving through chaotic traffic in a tuk-tuk.
They arrived in Ahmedabad just a day before flying back with Fiongal posting in a video: 'So, it's our last night in India and we've had a magical experience. Some mind-blowing things have happened.
'We are going to put all this together and create a vlog. It's my first ever vlog about the whole trip and we want to share it.'
Jamie revealed what a memorable trip they had both had: 'We have been on quite a journey and then spending our last night here in this beautiful hotel, it's really been great way to round off the trip.'
According to its website, The Wellness Foundry was founded by Fiongal in 2018 after he had a 'spiritual awakening' following a mysterious illness.
The website adds: 'Seeking healing beyond conventional methods, Fiongal delved into alternative practices that resonated deeply within his soul.'
Speaking to local media from the safety of a hospital bed, the passenger who was in seat 11A said: 'Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly.'
'When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran.
'There were pieces of the plane all around me. Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital.'
Astonishing footage showed the passenger walking away from the scene with some visible injuries.
Vishwash, who was returning home to London after visiting family, sustained injuries to his chest, eyes and feet, he told the Hindustan Times.
The regional police chief said 'some locals would have also died', given that the plane smashed down into offices and accommodation for doctors close to a hospital.
So far, rescue teams supported by the military have recovered 204 bodies, with casualties from the plane and the area surrounding the crash.
The passengers included 159 Indian nationals, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and a Canadian. Eleven of those on board were children, including two newborns.
A spokesman for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) said: 'Our thoughts are with all those affected by the tragic plane crash in India – this is an unfolding situation, and it will undoubtedly be causing a huge amount of worry and concern.
'FCDO staff are working urgently with local authorities in India and the UK to ensure families and friends are supported in the coming days, whether in the UK or in India.'
