Funeral for Air India crash victim after DNA match
Sameer also backed calls for the UK government to provide more support to the families of the victims involved in the crash."It feels very awful," he said. "He's nothing to the government – just a piece of paper, feels like tearing it up and throwing it in the bin."We don't know what to do because we're completely blank. We need some kind of support from someone, we need a guide about what to do but we don't have that at the moment."
In response to the criticism, a spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said: "Our staff continue to work around the clock in the UK and India to support the families and loved ones of all those impacted by the crash."Air India has been approached for a comment.
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Sky News
2 days ago
- Sky News
How Air India crash victim's grieving family discovered remains mix-up
Why you can trust Sky News Almost two months after Air India Flight 171's deadly crash, some of the 53 British nationals on board are only now being laid to rest. Some 300 friends, families, and locals from the Gujarati community in and around London gathered in Wembley for a prayer and memorial service dedicated to remembering some of the victims. Wearing his father's emerald ring that was miraculously recovered from the wreckage, Miten Patel addresses the crowd. His parents, Ashok and Shobhana Patel, were travelling back to their home in Orpington, Kent, after a spiritual trip to India, when they were killed in the crash on 12 June. Their funeral was held only days ago, after being delayed following the discovery that the remains of other individuals were found in Miten's mother's casket. He credits Professor Fiona Wilcox, the senior coroner at Inner West London Coroner's Court, for meeting with him and his family to break the news. "My parents were the first ones repatriated in the UK," Miten explains - he organised the repatriation of his parents before he flew out to Ahmedabad. "When they were back home, the first thing that they did was a CT scan. And that's when it came about, the CT scan showed that with mum's remains, there were further remains there too. "I don't know what they were. I don't know how many." Miten's parents' funeral was attended by hundreds. His father, Ashok, was a financial adviser and his mother, Shobhana, was a retired microbiologist. As the eldest son, organising much of his parents' farewell fell to him. The concern around his mother's remains delayed the family's chance to grieve. "I think there should be a level of responsibility taken. Why did that happen? Where was the flaw in that process? I mean I do understand that whole situation, people were rushing, people were very tired. "You know, to get all the remains, then having to separate them by DNA, it's a long process. But really, for us as loved ones, it is very upsetting." The flight crashed moments after take-off en route to Gatwick, killing 241 people on board. Horrifying images were beamed around the world within minutes. Confusion and fear spread like wildfire among relatives back in the UK, who immediately tried to get hold of their loved ones. It was a family member of Komal Patel's who called her after seeing the images on the news. There was only one flight out of Ahmedabad back to London that day, and she had only just been texting her brother Sunny and his wife Monali, who'd been on holiday. The events of the past few weeks have been unfathomable. In her first interview about her brother and her sister-in-law, Komal explains how she flew out to India with her cousin Jina to go and identify her little brother. "Because we weren't really allowed to see the body, I don't think I've really come to terms with it. I still think I'm dreaming and it's not really real," Komal tells us. Sunny and Monali Patel were in their 30s and about to celebrate their 10-year anniversary. The couple were the "light" and "soul" of their families. They loved having fun, playing with their nieces and nephews and adored travelling. Komal says her brother loved barbecues and her sister-in-law worked with children and adored hers too. "They're just really fun, exciting, really lived life, just made memories, just made everyone really happy," says big sister Komal. "They were like the heart of my kids. Whenever they walked into a room, they just filled up the room with laughter and happiness." The couple had been due to fly back home to London a week beforehand but postponed their flight. "It has just been very traumatic, very, very sad for us, losing Sunny and Monali at 39 years old," says their cousin Jina. "They were full of life and brought so much light into our family. As a family, we're devastated at why two people so young, with so much energy, who brought so much into our families have just sort of gone in one day." A joint funeral for the husband and wife was held a fortnight ago and like hundreds of families impacted by this tragedy, the family are now rebuilding a foundation that has been shattered.
BBC News
2 days ago
- BBC News
'Grieving for our parents killed in Air India crash will never end'
"I started my grieving last Thursday, when we finally brought them home."Miten Patel's mother and father Ashok and Shobna Patel died on the Gatwick-bound Air India aeroplane crash in couple were travelling home to visit their sons and grandchildren on 12 June, when the plane crashed in Ahmedabad, western India, killing all but one of those on Sunday, Mr Patel organised a service at the Sattavis Patidar Centre in Wembley to remember and pray for the victims, which also included Sunny and Monali Patel, from south Norwood. "That's when it hit me. I think it's going to be a long process to grieve. Grieving will never end - they're our life," he said. There were 242 passengers and crew on the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, including 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals and one the crash, the victims' remains were identified by the Indian authorities, however Mr Patel discovered "other remains" were in his mother's casket when her body was returned to the thanked the doctors involved for their support in the re-identification of his mother's remains."We have now 100% confirmed that we have cremated mum and dad, as mum and dad. It was a long process but it was definitely a necessary one."The family were also able to recover his father's ring, which he was wearing when the plane crashed. Mr Patel's family prepared a slideshow of photos of his parents throughout their life for the memorial. He described his parents as respected members of the community who were deeply missed. "They were the most wonderful parents that any child could ask for. They were caring, loving, supportive every step of the way," he said his parents would have been amazed at the gathering of people who came to pay their respects."The community at large has really supported us at this tragic time and I am grateful to every single one of those people," he added. At least 130 people attended the memorial including family, friends and people who knew other crash victims in Patel, trustee of the Sattavis Patidar Centre, said the community knew many of the Gujarati victims of the crash, some of whom were living in the UK and others who lived in India. "It is our duty as a trustee to organise and bring people together," he said. "For our community, it is a very sad day. We want to remember all of them, because this is the saddest thing that happened."
The Independent
3 days ago
- The Independent
Why Air India flight to London was forced to abort take-off
An Air India flight from Delhi to London was forced to abort its take-off due to a suspected technical issue. Flight AI2017, scheduled to depart on Thursday, 31 July, returned to the bay after the cockpit crew discontinued the take-off run as a precaution. Passengers were asked to disembark, and an alternative aircraft was subsequently deployed to complete the journey to London. This incident follows a separate Air India flight crash on 12 June, which was bound for London Gatwick. That crash in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, resulted in the deaths of 241 people on board and at least 29 on the ground, with an investigation into its causes ongoing.
