Catastrophe Onboard Air India Flight: Death Toll Reaches 290; Families Aboard Include a British Couple With Their 4-Year-Old Daughter
A plethora of Brits have met their untimely end in the latest plane crash, which occurred in Ahmedabad, India, involving the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Among the fatalities are a family from Gloucester, a Wellingborough family, a hotel management couple, and two sisters from London.
In Gloucester, recruitment consultant Akeel Nanabawa, 36, his wife Hannaa, 30, and their four-year-old daughter Sara were claimed by the disaster. The local Muslim community offered their deepest condolences to the bereaved household. Akeel was a passionate amateur footballer and football coach for youngsters[1].
Meanwhile, Raxa Modha, 55, of Wellingborough, and her two-year-old grandson, Rudra, also suffered a tragic fate on board the flight. Wellingborough mayor, Raj Mishra, offered his sympathies for the bereaved family, remarking that the entire community was grieving for their loss.
The old hotel management couple, Javed Ali Syed and his wife Mariam, and their two young children, Amani, four, and Zayn, were also among the fatalities. The plane they were aboard crashed shortly after takeoff, singeing a doctors' hostel and leaving over 290 people feared dead[1].
Additionally, the London-based sisters, Dhir and Heer Baxi, perished in seats 17J and 17H on the plane. The duo was in India for their grandmother's birthday celebration when the tragic incident occurred[1].
Moreover, Fiongal and Jamie Greenlaw-Meek, operators of a wellness business, found themselves on the ill-fated plane. They had previously appeared on ITV in January[1].
In the aftermath of the disaster, Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated, "The scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating." King Charles and Queen Camilla also expressed shock at the disaster[1].
In addition to British nationals, the airline carried 169 Indian citizens, a Canadian, and seven Portuguese passengers, as well as 10 crew members[1]. The crash has been declared India's worst-ever, and an investigation has commenced to uncover the cause of the disaster[2].
References:[1] The Sun. (2023, June 12). Brits among 241 killed in Air India crash after plane crashes into doctors' hostel in Ahmedabad. Retrieved from https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/18659966/brits-dead-india-airline-crash-ahmedabad/[2] BBC News. (2023, June 12). Air India plane crash: British families among fatalities. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-65174179
In the midst of national mourning, the tragic loss of several Britons has been reported in the Air India crash, with Akeel Nanabawa, a passionate amateur footballer from Gloucester, and Raxa Modha, a respected member of the Wellingborough community, among the victims. The crash also claimed the lives of Javed Ali Syed, a hotel management couple, and their two young children, as well as the London-based sisters, Dhir and Heer Baxi.
