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18 hours ago
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Tributes are being made to the passengers who died on the Air India flight bound for London Gatwick airport that crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad in western India.
There were 242 passengers and crew onboard the plane, including 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian.
One passenger, the 40-year-old British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, survived the crash and was treated in hospital for injuries.
Here are some of those reported to have died:
Ajay Kumar Ramesh
Ajay Kumar Ramesh was sitting alongside his brother, Vishwashkumar, on the opposite side of the aisle. The brothers had been travelling home after visiting family in India.
Dr Prateek Joshi, Komi Vyas and three young children; twin boys Nakul and Pradyut, both aged five, and daughter, Miraya, eight
Joshi, who worked at the Royal Derby hospital, is believed to have been travelling back from India, where his wife and children were based.
The Derby Hindu Temple paid tribute to the family on its Facebook page saying: “Dr Joshi [and his family] were devotees of our Mandir and supported us through their sincere service and dedication.”
Neil Ryan, who lived next door to them for two years, also described them as “the nicest family”.
Akeel Nanabawa, Hannaa Vorajee and their daughter, Sara, aged four
Businessman Akeel Nanabawa, 36, had lived in London for 20 years.
Nanabawa built up a recruitment company, Rec2go, before establishing Iceberg Recruitment Services. The company’s head office is in Gloucester but it also has a branch in Ahmedabad, its website states.
His 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.”
Hannaa, 30, a trained midwife, was head of finance at Rec2go Ltd.
In a statement paying tribute to the family, their imam, Abdullah Samad, said: “Together, they were committed advocates for humanitarian causes – particularly the suffering of innocent Palestinians and the urgent need for accessible medical care in parts of India.
“They were widely loved and deeply respected. His quiet generosity, her warmth and kindness and their daughter’s bright, joyful spirit made a lasting impact on everyone who knew them.
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Their next door neighbour Safeer Shah, 47, said the family had been on holiday in Malaysia and Indonesia before heading to the Gujarat state of India to surprise Nanabawa’s father for Eid al-Adha festivities.
The family had moved from Newport, south Wales, about 10 years ago. Nanabawa travelled to India regularly for business, he added.
Nanabawa had three brothers who lived in the Tredworth area, as well as his mother, Shah said. “They had plans for the future,” she said.
Next-door neighbours Henry and Ros Rickards, who have lived in the street for about 30 years, said the family were the best neighbours. “Sara was the loveliest girl, she loved our dog,” said Ros. “The dog never barked at her, she was so lovely. She was a gorgeous little girl.”
Fiongal and Jamie Greenlaw-Meek
Fiongal, 39, and Jamie Greenlaw-Meek, 45, ran the Wellness Foundry in south London and Ramsgate, Kent, a business offering psychic readings, tarot, reiki and yoga, and had partnered with major brands such as Netflix, Google and Dior.
The couple married in 2022, with Jamie praising his “wonderful husband” in a Facebook post, and thanking him for “keeping me calm in times of stress (sunshine after the rain)”. He added that his heart was “so full of love and gratitude”.
A former fashion designer, Fiongal founded the Wellness Foundry in late 2018 after experiencing a spiritual awakening following a mysterious illness, according to its website.
His husband, a former professional dancer, joined the team in March 2023, as co-director and head of events. He also offered psychic readings and life coaching. Both were alumni of the College of Psychic Studies.
The couple were returning home after a 10-day wellness retreat. The couple captured the happy time they had in India in a series of social media posts, including 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.”
In the airport before take-off, the pair filmed a video of themselves joking before the 10-hour flight back to London. Fiongal said the pair were “going back happily, happily, happily calm”.
Adam and Hasina Taju and their son-in-law, Altafhusen Patel
Adam Taju, 72 and his 70-year-old wife, Hasina, were flying with their son-in-law, Altafhusen Patel, 51, who lives in London with his wife.
The couple’s granddaughter, Ammaarah Taju, spoke of her shock and disbelief at her parents’ home in Blackburn. She said her father, Altaf Taju, had driven to London to be with his sister as they received updates about the crash from Air India and government officials.
Javed and Mariam Syed, and their two children, Zayn, five and Amani, four
Zayn and Amani are believed to be the youngest named victims of the crash so far.
Javed Ali Syed, a hotel manager at the Best Western Kensington Olympia hotel in London, and his wife, Mariam, were travelling with their children. Syed was an award-winning hotelier and worked for the Comfort Inn London in Westminster in 2017. Mrs Syed worke d at Harrods.
Hardik Avaiya and Vibhooti Patel
Friends of the couple, who lived in the the Belgrave area of Leicester, told LeicestershireLive this morning of their shock at losing two people they described as “lovely”.
Close friend Margi, 30, said: “It’s devastating. They were very good people. I can’t believe it’s happened.”
Margi said she knew Avaiya, 27, and Patel, 28, through her husband, who had been travelling to Gatwick airport to collect the couple when he learned of the crash. She said: “My husband was on his way to pick them up yesterday from Gatwick but halfway he got the news.”
Hardik worked alongside Margi’s husband, where they had built a close friendship over several years, she said. “The couple were also active members of their local temple community, where they were known for their kindness and generosity,” she added. Hardik also volunteered at the temple.
Raxa Modha, her daughter-in-law, Yasha Kamdar, and her two-year-old grandson, Rudra
Raxa Modha, 55, from Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, and her two-year-old grandson, Rudra, were believed to have been flying back to England for a cremation and memorial service for Modha’s late husband.
Modha had been in India for some time, fulfilling the dying wish of her husband Kishor who had wanted to live out his last days in his homeland. He died there on 26 April. They were returning to the UK to organise a prayer meeting later this month at Highfield Road Community Centre in Wellingborough.
The couple, who ran an Indian food catering firm called Pooja Caterers, had three children and one grandchild. It thought that Kishan, Modha’s son, was taking another flight home.
Speaking to MailOnline, a family friend said: “It’s incredibly sad, the whole family is already grieving Kishor’s death.”
Jaya Tailor, who lives in Wellingborough, said she knew Modha personally and that she was “a people’s person”.
“She helped her husband build a business,” she said. “She loved having people around her. She was kind, generous, loving, a real people’s person.”
Dhir and Heer Baxi
The sisters, both in their 20s, were on their way back to London after having made a surprise trip to visit their grandmother for her birthday.
Dhir was doing a degree in fashion design while Heer worked as a project leader in the investment and renewable energy sector. She had previously worked in Singapore, where the sisters are believed to have spent their childhood.
The Baxis’ elder brother, Ishan, told The Telegraph: “I can’t express what my complete family is going through – shell-shocked, not coming to terms is what I can say right now.
“Both had a natural aura of helping and always cared about family values. They both had aspirations to be successful enough to roam around the world, tension-free. Along with their parents, they both had a proclivity towards modernisation without changing traditional values.
“Both my sisters know what is right and what is wrong, thus whatever work they carried out, in academics or fashion, they always got success with no conflicts amongst peers or seniors.”
Renjitha Gopakumaran
Renjitha Gopakumaran was returning to the UK after a holiday to see family in her home country. The nurse and mother was working at Queen Alexandra hospital in Portsmouth, Hants, and is thought to have been in the UK for a year.
Her colleagues at the NHS hospital said she was a “beautiful lady” who showed her patients and co-workers “so much love and care”.
Gopakumaran, said to be in her 40s, “had the biggest heart and brightest smile”, one colleague said.
