British lawyer says families received wrong remains of Air India crash victims
The family of a separate victim received the remains of another person, according to James Healy-Pratt, who is representing 20 British families who lost loved ones in the disaster.
A total of 241 people on board the London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner died when the plane crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad in western India on June 12.
The toll included 169 Indian passengers and 52 British nationals.
Several people on the ground also died while only one passenger, British citizen Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, survived the crash.
Mr Healy-Pratt told the Press Association news agency that the return of victims' remains had been marred by serious errors, which had been identified following a probe by a British coroner.
"In the first two caskets that were repatriated, in one of the caskets, there was co-mingling of DNA which did not relate to the deceased in that casket or the casket that accompanied it," he said.
The lawyer added the coroner was then "able to determine that one particular loved one was not at all who the family thought they were".
Miten Patel, whose mother, Shobhana Patel, died along with her husband in the disaster, told the BBC that "other remains" were found in her casket after her body was returned to Britain.
"People were tired and there was a lot of pressure. But there has to be a level of responsibility that you're sending the right bodies to the UK," he told the BBC.
The Daily Mail newspaper first reported two cases in which the wrong remains were apparently returned to families in Britain.
India's foreign ministry said all remains "were handled with utmost professionalism and with due regard for the dignity of the deceased".
"We are continuing to work with the UK authorities on addressing any concerns related to this issue," the statement added.
AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News AU
a day ago
- Sky News AU
United Airlines pilot calls ‘Mayday' as engine fails moments after take-off for trans-Atlantic flight: audio
Anxiety-inducing audio captured a United Airlines pilot calling 'Mayday' when one of its engines failed moments after taking off for a trans-Atlantic flight. 'Failure, engine failure, left engine,' the pilots of United Flight 108 radioed air traffic controllers as it departed from Washington Dulles International Airport on July 25. 'Declaring an emergency. Mayday, mayday, mayday,' the pilot added. Flight 108 departed from the DC airport just before 6 p.m. that Friday to begin a nearly eight-hour flight across the ocean to Munich, Germany. But mere moments after becoming airborne the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner's engine cut out as it reached about 10,000 feet, according to audio obtained by the flight tracker You can see ATC. Air traffic controllers advised the flight to begin turning northeast to begin returning to Dulles. But with its fuel tanks filled for the long flight it was planning, pilots realized their aircraft was too heavy to safely land and requested space to circle while its tanks were sufficiently dumped. After about 30 minutes, the plane began its descent and landed without issue. The flights 219 passengers and 11 crew all deplaned safely. United officials told PEOPLE the plane suffered a 'mechanical issue,' but did not elaborate further. Originally published as United Airlines pilot calls 'Mayday' as engine fails moments after take-off for trans-Atlantic flight: audio
News.com.au
7 days ago
- News.com.au
‘Mayday': Major airline forced to dump fuel after engine failure
Pilots on a United Airlines flight declared 'MAYDAY' shortly after taking off from Washington Dulles International Airport due to a serious engine failure. Flightradar24 footage shows the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that was bound for Munich doing several loops at almost 6,000 feet before landing safely back at the US airport. It took off at 5.40pm local time on July 25, but moments later the aircraft suffered a malfunction in its left engine, with quick thinking flight crew initiating emergency protocols, including a fuel dump. Fuel dumping (or a fuel jettison) is a procedure used by aircraft in certain emergency situations or due to maintenance issues. It is done before a return to the airport shortly after takeoff, or before landing short of the intended destination (emergency landing) to reduce the aircraft's weight. The pilots on-board flight UA108 repeated 'Mayday', marking the severity of the issue and co-ordinated with Air Traffic Control (ATC) to stabilise the situation. The audio between flight crew and ATC was released on the 'You can see ATC' YouTube channel showing the calm and seamless action by crew and the controller. Pilot: 'Failure. Engine failure. Left engine, United 18, declaring an emergency.' Pilot: 'Mayday, Mayday, Mayday.' ATC: 'Heavy, roger that, sir. Are you able to make your way in, in fact, into the field at this time? You can turn right heading 10 if able.' Pilot: 'Right turn to 10, United 18 heavy.' ATC: 'I'm going to keep you going with that one at 6000 …' Pilot: 'Okay, we're level at five. We'd like to just stay here, heavy. Say again, please.' Pilot: 'Left engine failure. 1 — that's souls on board 10, about 5 hours of flight time.' ATC: 'Heavy, roger that. Would you like to stay at 5,000 to get a bit closer, or would you like to …' Pilot (interrupting): 'Have me starting? You're on final, United 18 heavy. Good job, sir, that's — if there's anything I can do, again … setting up for the ILS.' ATC: '19 Center, 1 heavy, clear to village, turn right heading 16, 19 Center.' Pilot: '160 to 19 Center, we're working on a checklist for now, so we may — we might need to hold.' ATC: 'Okay. Just advise, sir, speed at your discretion. If I need to take you back out for another loop, that's perfectly fine. Just let me know what I can do for you.' Pilot: 'Okay, we'll let you know.' At about 6 minutes into the audio, the pilot advised fuel dumping was in progress 16km west of Dulles, northbound, at 6000 feet. Not all aircraft are equipped with fuel-dumping systems; typically, only larger, wide-body planes have this capability, as required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) – the United States' primary authority for regulating and overseeing civil aviation. Similar to that of Australia, the US also has strict procedures on when and where it can occur. The controller then advised the pilot when it was safe to approach the runway for landing. Upon landing, the aircraft taxied off the runway but required a tow due to the disabled left engine, according to Aviation a2z. No injuries were reported, and the incident is expected to be investigated further by the airline and relevant aviation authorities. It is understood jettisoned fuel vaporises rapidly and disperses widely – meaning it is highly unlikely to reach the ground and have a negligible effect on air or water quality or the environment.
Daily Telegraph
24-07-2025
- Daily Telegraph
Plane carrying 49 passengers crashes in Russia's far east
Don't miss out on the headlines from World. Followed categories will be added to My News. A passenger plane carrying nearly 50 people crashed in a remote spot in Russia's far eastern region of Amur on Thursday, with no immediate signs of survivors, authorities said. The aircraft, a twin-propeller Antonov-24 operated by Angara Airlines, was headed to the town of Tynda from the city of Blagoveshchensk when it disappeared from radar at around 1:00 pm local time (0400 GMT). A rescue helicopter later spotted the burning fuselage of the plane on a forested mountain slope about 16 kilometres (10 miles) from Tynda. Videos published by Russian investigators showed what appeared to be columns of smoke billowing from the wreckage of the plane in a dense, forested area. Rescuers in the helicopter saw no evidence of survivors, local rescuers said, as the Amur region's civil defence agency said it was dispatching a ground team to the scene. 'At the moment, 25 people and five units of equipment have been dispatched, and four aircraft with crews are on standby,' it said. The forest terrain has made getting to the site difficult, a rescuer told the state TASS news agency. 'The main search operations are being conducted from the air,' they said. Angara Airlines, a small regional carrier based in the Russian city of Irkutsk, made no immediate public comment. This video grab from a handout footage released by the Eastern Interregional Directorate for Transport of the Russian Investigative Committee on July 24, 2025, (Photo by Handout / Investigative Committee of Russia / AFP) Plane attempted 'second landing' The plane was carrying 43 passengers and six crew members on board, according to the region's governor Vassily Orlov. Among the passengers were five children, he said. Russia's state TASS news agency, citing emergency services, said the plane was carrying 40 passengers and six crew. The plane crashed while attempting a second approach to Tynda airport, Russia's Far Eastern Transport Prosecutor's Office said. 'While approaching Tynda Airport, the aircraft went around for a second landing, after which contact was lost,' it said. 'The circumstances are being investigated,' it said. It did not make any immediate comment on what caused the crash. The state TASS news agency reported that the plane was manufactured almost 50 years ago. 'In 2021, the aircraft's airworthiness certificate was extended until 2036,' it reported, citing a source in aviation services. AFP was not able to immediately verify this information. The Antonov-24 is a popular, Soviet-designed twin-propeller plane that first entered into service in 1959. Russia has taken steps to switch from Soviet aircraft to modern jets in recent years, but ageing light aircraft are still widely used in far-flung regions, with accidents being frequent. Originally published as Plane carrying 49 passengers crashes in Russia's far east
