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Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Yahoo
Family desperate for news after India plane crash
The family of a British man feared to have been on board the Air India flight that crashed in India say they are desperate for answers about what happened to him. Faizan Rafik was returning home to Leicester when the plane he was due to be travelling on crashed into a residential area in Ahmedabad on Thursday. The 25-year-old's family say they have not yet received official confirmation about whether he was on board or if so what has happened to his body. His cousin Sameer Rafik said his family had been left "completely stuck and don't know what to do". A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said an advice helpline and a support centre had been set up near the airport. On Tuesday, Sameer said his family had provided DNA more than four days ago, but had still heard nothing. "There's no update on him, we don't know if he's dead or alive," he said. "We are still hoping to hear some good news from India but unfortunately we aren't getting any update from anywhere. "Faizan's dad was asked to give DNA - it's been more than four days now. We were supposed to have heard from the hospital by Monday but we haven't heard anything. "We need to get some update about my brother. Was he there in the flight crash? If he wasn't on the flight where is he? If he is on the flight then what's the condition of the body?" The plane was carrying 242 people when it crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad airport, in western India, including 53 Britons. There was a single passenger Vishwash Kumar Ramesh who survived the crash. Faizan was retuning the UK after visiting his wife in Bharuch, Gujarat for their first Eid celebration together. Sameer has backed calls for the UK government to provide more support to the families of the victims involved in the crash. He added: "We haven't had anything from the UK or India – it feels like he was the one paying tax to this country and the government doesn't bother about the person who has died. "It feels very awful. 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." Over the weekend, doctors in India said 270 bodies had been recovered from the site of the crash. A statement from the 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." The BBC has contacted Air India for a statement and is awaiting a response. Follow BBC Leicester on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@ or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210. Wait for bodies deepens pain of families after Air India crash Who are the victims of the Air India plane crash? Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
Family's anguished wait for news after air crash
A family from Leicester say they are waiting for news about a loved one who was thought to have been on a plane that crashed in India. More than 240 people were killed on Thursday when a Boeing 787 bound for Gatwick crashed shortly after take off in Ahmedabad. Faizan Rafik, 25, from the Belgrave area of the city, was believed to have been on the flight after visiting India for a week to celebrate Eid with his wife. His brother Farhan Rafik, 22, said the family was still hoping to receive a call from him. Farhan said: "We are all hoping he will come back, we are still hoping that from somewhere he will pick up our call and say 'I am alive and I am safe', but we are still waiting for that call." The 22-year-old from Leicester said he and Faizan were "always together" and added people would "feel great" in his company. He added Faizan dedicated time to charity work and was "respectful" of everyone. There were 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian on the flight when it crashed. Vishwashkumar Ramesh, also from Leicester, was the sole survivor and escaped the wreckage through an opening in the fuselage. Live coverage of the crash aftermath Messages deliver, bodies missing: Clinging to hope after Air India crash What we know so far about Air India flight AI171? What could have caused Air India plane to crash in 30 seconds? Leicester Council of Faiths said it was "shocked" and "saddened" by the plane crash. A spokesperson said: "With reports of casualties from the local area and the sole survivor from Leicester, and with Leicester's diverse communities having deep connections to India, this tragedy has affected many here. "We stand together in grief and in mourning for those who have lost their lives." Follow BBC Leicester on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@ or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210. Hunt for black box continues as grieving Air India crash families wait for answers What we know so far after Air India flight to London crashes in Ahmedabad Who are the victims of the Air India plane crash? What could have caused Air India plane to crash in 30 seconds? Doctor and family among Air India crash victims
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
Family's anguished wait for news after air crash
A family from Leicester say they are waiting for news about a loved one who was thought to have been on a plane that crashed in India. More than 240 people were killed on Thursday when a Boeing 787 bound for Gatwick crashed shortly after take off in Ahmedabad. Faizan Rafik, 25, from the Belgrave area of the city, was believed to have been on the flight after visiting India for a week to celebrate Eid with his wife. His brother Farhan Rafik, 22, said the family was still hoping to receive a call from him. Farhan said: "We are all hoping he will come back, we are still hoping that from somewhere he will pick up our call and say 'I am alive and I am safe', but we are still waiting for that call." The 22-year-old from Leicester said he and Faizan were "always together" and added people would "feel great" in his company. He added Faizan dedicated time to charity work and was "respectful" of everyone. There were 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian on the flight when it crashed. Vishwashkumar Ramesh, also from Leicester, was the sole survivor and escaped the wreckage through an opening in the fuselage. Live coverage of the crash aftermath Messages deliver, bodies missing: Clinging to hope after Air India crash What we know so far about Air India flight AI171? What could have caused Air India plane to crash in 30 seconds? Leicester Council of Faiths said it was "shocked" and "saddened" by the plane crash. A spokesperson said: "With reports of casualties from the local area and the sole survivor from Leicester, and with Leicester's diverse communities having deep connections to India, this tragedy has affected many here. "We stand together in grief and in mourning for those who have lost their lives." Follow BBC Leicester on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@ or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210. Hunt for black box continues as grieving Air India crash families wait for answers What we know so far after Air India flight to London crashes in Ahmedabad Who are the victims of the Air India plane crash? What could have caused Air India plane to crash in 30 seconds? Doctor and family among Air India crash victims
