Air India crash victim's mum horrified as authorities send wrong body back to the UK in a casket
Amanda Donaghey, 66, was left heartbroken and appalled after DNA evidence proved
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DNA evidence proved Air India crash passenger Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek's casket actually belonged to another victim
Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
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Fiongal and husband Jamie filmed themselves waiting to board the doomed plane
Credit: Instagram
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All but one passenger died when the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft crashed in Ahmedabad, India
Credit: Reuters
Fiongal, 39, had been to India celebrating his wedding anniversary with husband, Jamie, 45.
The pair were all set to fly home to Britain on the doomed Flight AI171 when
Moments after
takeoff
from Ahmedabad airport, the pilots lost altitude as the plane came
Footage captured the moment it smashed into a medical college hostel.
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read more in Air India crash
A total of 241 passengers and crew plus 19 people on the ground were all killed in the tragedy - including 52 Brits like Fiongal and Jamie.
Amanda initially believed the two men had caught a flight home two days earlier until she received an emotional phone call from the dad of Fiongal.
A brave Amanda then flew out to India shortly after being told both men were on the plane when it crashed.
She went to look for her son or, in the worse case scenario, bring his remains home.
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Most read in The Sun
Exclusive
Breaking
She told
"I remember all these burnt trees. The trees were scorched black. But there were still
birds
and squirrels in those trees, which I found quite profound.
How pilots cutting engines sparked TWO plane disasters after South Korea & India crashes as calls for cockpit CCTV grow
"It was like a bomb site. You would think it was from a war scene, but there were still these small birds twittering."
Hours after the crash, it was confirmed that only
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Despite the tragedy, Amanda remained determined to help find Fiongal's remains.
She gave blood to help find a DNA match before being informed officials had found the body and sent it back to the UK.
Jamie had already been identified by this point with both men's families hoping to lay them to rest
next
to each other.
Amanda rushed back to the UK hoping to say her final goodbyes after being assured that Fiongal was in the casket.
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The family had started to plan Fiongal's funeral when they received a gut-wrenching phone call from the police.
A British coroner had completed a second, more thorough DNA test on the remains which were inside the casket.
Fiongal's tragic final video
A HEARTBREAKING final video posted by Fiongal came just hours before their tragic death in the Air India crash.
In the chilling final clip filmed at Ahmedabad airport, Fiongal and Jamie, dressed in floral shirts and visibly happy, reflect on their trip.
Fiongal says: "We are at the airport just boarding. Goodbye India. Ten-hour flight back to
Jamie responds: "I don't know," prompting Fiongal's laughter and a teasing, "Thanks for your contribution."
Fiongal jokes that his main lesson was "don't lose your patience with your partner," to which Jamie smiles and replies, "You snapped at me at the airport for having chai."
Passengers mill in the background as Fiongal adds: "I'm going back to Britain happily, happily calm."
Earlier social media posts from the couple showed their experiences in Ahmedabad, including a seven-hour car journey to a stunning hotel.
In one clip, Fiongal lies on a large bed beside a giant swing, describing the hotel as "beautiful" and saying he felt "very, very happy."
Their time in India was captured in a series of posts showing henna tattoos, shopping for fabrics and gifts, and riding in a tuk-tuk through busy streets.
On their final night, Fiongal reflected: "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 added: "We have been on quite a journey and then spending our last night here in this beautiful hotel, it's really been a great way to round off the trip."
They did not belong to Fiongal.
"It was heartbreaking," Amanda said.
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"We don't know what poor person is in that casket. This is an appalling thing to have happened."
Amanda's experience is tragically just one of many parents struggling to find closure after the crash due to a mix up of many caskets.
NHS microbiologist Shobhana Patel, 71, and her husband Ashok, 74, both
The couple, from Orpington,
Kent
, were repatriated in different coffins but DNA tests in Britain
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One
And in another
It is thought that only Indian authorities carried out DNA tests on victims with no input from any international agency.
India's Ministry of External Affairs said: 'All remains were handled with professionalism.'
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Brit families previously slammed the chaotic ground operation following the horror smash on June 12.
One relative reportedly blasted the "lack of transparency and oversight in the identification and handling of remains".
6
Brit families previously slammed the chaotic ground operation following the horror smash on June 12
Credit: AFP
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Vishwash Ramesh was the sole survivor of the Air India crash
Credit: Dan Charity
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The Journal
3 hours ago
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Mother of Air India crash victim ‘heartbroken' after remains wrongly identified
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Air India crash victim's mum horrified as authorities send wrong body back to the UK in a casket
A MUM whose son died in the Air India plane crash has been left horrified after authorities sent the wrong body back to the UK. Amanda Donaghey, 66, was left heartbroken and appalled after DNA evidence proved Advertisement 6 DNA evidence proved Air India crash passenger Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek's casket actually belonged to another victim Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 6 Fiongal and husband Jamie filmed themselves waiting to board the doomed plane Credit: Instagram 6 All but one passenger died when the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft crashed in Ahmedabad, India Credit: Reuters Fiongal, 39, had been to India celebrating his wedding anniversary with husband, Jamie, 45. The pair were all set to fly home to Britain on the doomed Flight AI171 when Moments after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport, the pilots lost altitude as the plane came Footage captured the moment it smashed into a medical college hostel. Advertisement read more in Air India crash A total of 241 passengers and crew plus 19 people on the ground were all killed in the tragedy - including 52 Brits like Fiongal and Jamie. Amanda initially believed the two men had caught a flight home two days earlier until she received an emotional phone call from the dad of Fiongal. A brave Amanda then flew out to India shortly after being told both men were on the plane when it crashed. She went to look for her son or, in the worse case scenario, bring his remains home. Advertisement Most read in The Sun Exclusive Breaking She told "I remember all these burnt trees. The trees were scorched black. But there were still birds and squirrels in those trees, which I found quite profound. How pilots cutting engines sparked TWO plane disasters after South Korea & India crashes as calls for cockpit CCTV grow "It was like a bomb site. You would think it was from a war scene, but there were still these small birds twittering." Hours after the crash, it was confirmed that only Advertisement Despite the tragedy, Amanda remained determined to help find Fiongal's remains. She gave blood to help find a DNA match before being informed officials had found the body and sent it back to the UK. Jamie had already been identified by this point with both men's families hoping to lay them to rest next to each other. Amanda rushed back to the UK hoping to say her final goodbyes after being assured that Fiongal was in the casket. Advertisement The family had started to plan Fiongal's funeral when they received a gut-wrenching phone call from the police. A British coroner had completed a second, more thorough DNA test on the remains which were inside the casket. Fiongal's tragic final video A HEARTBREAKING final video posted by Fiongal came just hours before their tragic death in the Air India crash. In the chilling final clip filmed at Ahmedabad airport, Fiongal and Jamie, dressed in floral shirts and visibly happy, reflect on their trip. Fiongal says: "We are at the airport just boarding. Goodbye India. Ten-hour flight back to Jamie responds: "I don't know," prompting Fiongal's laughter and a teasing, "Thanks for your contribution." Fiongal jokes that his main lesson was "don't lose your patience with your partner," to which Jamie smiles and replies, "You snapped at me at the airport for having chai." Passengers mill in the background as Fiongal adds: "I'm going back to Britain happily, happily calm." Earlier social media posts from the couple showed their experiences in Ahmedabad, including a seven-hour car journey to a stunning hotel. In one clip, Fiongal lies on a large bed beside a giant swing, describing the hotel as "beautiful" and saying he felt "very, very happy." 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NHS microbiologist Shobhana Patel, 71, and her husband Ashok, 74, both The couple, from Orpington, Kent , were repatriated in different coffins but DNA tests in Britain Advertisement One And in another It is thought that only Indian authorities carried out DNA tests on victims with no input from any international agency. India's Ministry of External Affairs said: 'All remains were handled with professionalism.' Advertisement Brit families previously slammed the chaotic ground operation following the horror smash on June 12. One relative reportedly blasted the "lack of transparency and oversight in the identification and handling of remains". 6 Brit families previously slammed the chaotic ground operation following the horror smash on June 12 Credit: AFP 6 Vishwash Ramesh was the sole survivor of the Air India crash Credit: Dan Charity Advertisement 6
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Steamed cod with asparagus and vinegar butter
Serves : 2 Course : Dinner Cooking Time : 15 mins Prep Time : 25 mins Ingredients 2 pieces of skinless cod, approx 130g each Sea salt 1 shallot, thinly sliced 100ml white wine vinegar 100ml white wine 200ml cream 100g cold butter, cubed Juice of ½ lemon 1 tbsp caster sugar 4-5 asparagus spears, trimmed 1 tbsp olive oil Picked dill fronds Zest of ½ lemon Black pepper ½ tbsp finely diced chives Place the cod pieces on a plate and season with salt, then place in the fridge for 30 minutes. Prep a steamer and place on the hob, so it is ready to steam the cod. Start the sauce by adding the shallot, vinegar and wine to a small saucepan and placing on a high heat. Bring to a simmer and allow the liquid to reduce by half, then add the cream. Allow the liquid to reduce by half again, then remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the cold cubes of butter gradually. Finish the sauce by seasoning with some lemon juice. Place a small piece of parchment paper in the steamer, enough to sit the cod pieces on and prevent them sticking. Remove the cod from the fridge and place in the steamer on the parchment. Place the lid on the steamer and steam the cod for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat. Place a medium saucepan on the heat and add some freshly boiled water from the kettle. Season the water with sugar and some salt, then blanch the asparagus spears in the boiling water for 2 minutes. Strain the asparagus spears, then chop them at angles into 2-3 pieces. Dress in olive oil and add to a serving dish along with some dill fronds. Place the steamed cod on top and spoon on some of the vinegar butter. Finish with some lemon zest, black pepper and diced chives.
