Latest news with #Greenlaw-Meek
ITV News
3 days ago
- ITV News
Mother of Air India crash victim from Kent ‘heartbroken' after remains wrongly identified
The mother of a British Air India crash victim from Kent has said her family is 'heartbroken' after receiving news the remains of her son were wrongly identified, The Sunday Times reported. Bound for Gatwick Airport, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, crashed into a medical college shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad Airport on June 12, killing 241 people on board. Some 169 Indian passengers and 52 British nationals were killed, making it one of the deadliest plane crashes in terms of the number of British fatalities. Among the British victims were Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek, 39, and his husband Jamie, 45, from Ramsgate who had been returning to Britain after celebrating their wedding anniversary in India. Mr Greenlaw-Meek's mother, Amanda Donaghey, told The Sunday Times she flew to India after the crash in order to find her son's remains, providing a DNA sample at Ahmedabad's Civil Hospital to assist the identification process. Following a match on June 20 last year, she returned to the UK with Mr Greenlaw-Meek's coffin. But on July 5, as Mr Greenlaw-Meek and his husband's families prepared to bury the married couple together, police told Ms Donaghey that DNA tests carried out in the UK showed Mr Greenlaw-Meek's remains were not in the coffin. 'We don't know what poor person is in that casket,' she told The Sunday Times. 'I had my doubts but to be told that was heartbreaking. 'This is an appalling thing to have happened,' she added. 'And we would now like the British Government to do everything in its power to find out, and bring Fiongal home.' Fiongal and Jamie ran a wellness business in Ramsgate, and Fiongal has previously made appearances on ITV's This Morning to showcase their wellness brand. It was revealed last week the coffin of another repatriated British victim, 71-year-old Shobhana Patel, contained remains of multiple people, The Sunday Times reported. Mrs Patel was killed alongside her husband Ashok, 74, as they returned to the UK from a Hindu religious trip. Their son Miten Patel told The Sunday Times: 'There may have been a mistake done. 'But for religious reasons we need to make sure my mother is my mother and not somebody else's remains. 'Knowing 100% that it is my mum is very important to us.' Shobhana and Ashok Patel were laid to rest last week, The Sunday Times said. International aviation lawyer James Healey-Pratt, whose firm Keystone Law is representing families of victims of the Air India crash, has told Times Radio the identification issues have raised concerns over the total number of victims whose identities may have been misattributed. 'We know that 12 caskets were repatriated from India to the UK,' he said. 'Of those 12, two had been mishandled, misidentified. 'And so if you extrapolate that sample, you're looking at 40 mishandled remains out of 240. 'So that's a very large number, but we simply don't know. 'And to date, the Indian authorities have not been transparent or helpful about that, which is why there was pressure put on by the families to the FCO and the Prime Minister's office. 'And this was actually mentioned in the meeting at Chequers between Keir Starmer and Prime Minister Modi on Thursday. 'So the families are waiting to hear about what actions are really being done in India to provide some degree of assurance.' It is understood no blame is being put on any UK agency for the blunders, Mr Healy-Pratt previously told the PA news agency. The High Commission of India has been contacted for comment.
West Australian
3 days ago
- West Australian
Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek: Air India crash victim's mother heartbroken after authorities sent wrong body to the UK
The mother of a wellness influencer who died in the Air India plane crash has been left distraught after authorities sent another victim's body back to the UK. Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek and his partner Jamie were among those on flight AI171, which plummeted to the ground shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad, India, in June. The couple had travelled to India for a 10-day wellness retreat. Mr Greenlaw-Meek's mother, Amanda Donaghey, flew to India shortly after she was told the devastating news about her son. 'Visiting the site and seeing it was something I felt like I had to do. I wanted to understand what had happened,' she told The Sunday Times . '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. 'It was like a bomb site. You would think it was from a war scene, but there were still these small birds twittering.' Ms Donaghey, desperate to find her missing son's remains, gave a blood sample to help identify him through DNA. When local officials found his body, the 66-year-old mother was told that his body would be sent back to the UK in a casket. However, while in the throes of planning a funeral, she received a devastating call from police: A British coroner had determined from a more thorough DNA test that the remains inside the casket did not belong to her son. 'It was heartbreaking,' Ms Donaghey said. 'We don't know what poor person is in that casket. This is an appalling thing to have happened.' The grieving mother has called on the UK Government to do all it can to uncover what happened to her son's remains and 'bring Fiongal home.' Ms Donaghey is one of many heartbroken parents who have had to rearrange funeral plans due to the mix-up of bodies. Another family was given 'co-mingled' remnants of more than one person in their casket, so a process of separating the remains had to be undertaken before the funeral went ahead, according to the Daily Mail . In an eerie video posted just before boarding the doomed flight, the wellness influencer appeared in what would be his final video on social media. Mr Greenlaw-Meek and his partner Jamie can be seen preparing for their long-haul journey back to London, reflecting on their time in India. 'We are at the airport just boarding,' Mr Greenlaw-Meek said, before bidding farewell to India ahead of what his partner suggested would be a '10-hour flight back to England.' At the end of the heartbreaking video, Mr Greenlaw-Meek said, 'Going back happily, happily, happily calm.' It is believed that only Indian authorities performed DNA tests on victims, with no checks from international organisations.
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Perth Now
Mum of Air India crash victim ‘appalled' after body mix up
The mother of a wellness influencer who died in the Air India plane crash has been left distraught after authorities sent another victim's body back to the UK. Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek and his partner Jamie were among those on flight AI171, which plummeted to the ground shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad, India, in June. The couple had travelled to India for a 10-day wellness retreat. Mr Greenlaw-Meek's mother, Amanda Donaghey, flew to India shortly after she was told the devastating news about her son. 'Visiting the site and seeing it was something I felt like I had to do. I wanted to understand what had happened,' she told The Sunday Times. '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. 'It was like a bomb site. You would think it was from a war scene, but there were still these small birds twittering.' Ms Donaghey, desperate to find her missing son's remains, gave a blood sample to help identify him through DNA. When local officials found his body, the 66-year-old mother was told that his body would be sent back to the UK in a casket. However, while in the throes of planning a funeral, she received a devastating call from police: A British coroner had determined from a more thorough DNA test that the remains inside the casket did not belong to her son. 'It was heartbreaking,' Ms Donaghey said. 'We don't know what poor person is in that casket. This is an appalling thing to have happened.' The grieving mother has called on the UK Government to do all it can to uncover what happened to her son's remains and 'bring Fiongal home.' Ms Donaghey is one of many heartbroken parents who have had to rearrange funeral plans due to the mix-up of bodies. Another family was given 'co-mingled' remnants of more than one person in their casket, so a process of separating the remains had to be undertaken before the funeral went ahead, according to the Daily Mail. In an eerie video posted just before boarding the doomed flight, the wellness influencer appeared in what would be his final video on social media. Mr Greenlaw-Meek and his partner Jamie can be seen preparing for their long-haul journey back to London, reflecting on their time in India. Jamie Meek and partner Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek were among those on flight AI171, which plummeted to the ground shortly after taking off. Credit: Unknown / Instagram 'We are at the airport just boarding,' Mr Greenlaw-Meek said, before bidding farewell to India ahead of what his partner suggested would be a '10-hour flight back to England.' At the end of the heartbreaking video, Mr Greenlaw-Meek said, 'Going back happily, happily, happily calm.' If you'd like to view this content, please adjust your . To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide. It is believed that only Indian authorities performed DNA tests on victims, with no checks from international organisations.
The Journal
3 days ago
- General
- The Journal
Mother of Air India crash victim ‘heartbroken' after remains wrongly identified
THE MOTHER OF a British Air India crash victim has said her family is 'heartbroken' after receiving news the remains of her son were wrongly identified, The Sunday Times reported. The London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed into a medical college shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad Airport on June 12, killing 241 people on board. Some 169 Indian passengers and 52 British nationals were killed, making it one of the deadliest plane crashes in terms of the number of British fatalities. Among the British victims were Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek, 39, and his husband Jamie, 45, who had been returning to Britain after celebrating their wedding anniversary in India. Mr Greenlaw-Meek's mother, Amanda Donaghey, told The Sunday Times she flew to India after the crash in order to find her son's remains, providing a DNA sample at Ahmedabad's Civil Hospital to assist the identification process. Following a match on 20 June, she returned to the UK with Mr Greenlaw-Meek's coffin. But on 5 July, as Mr Greenlaw-Meek and his husband's families prepared to bury the married couple together, police told Ms Donaghey that DNA tests carried out in the UK showed Mr Greenlaw-Meek's remains were not in the coffin. 'We don't know what poor person is in that casket,' she told The Sunday Times. 'I had my doubts but to be told that was heartbreaking. 'This is an appalling thing to have happened,' she added. 'And we would now like the British Gvernment to do everything in its power to find out, and bring Fiongal home.' It was revealed last week the coffin of another repatriated British victim, 71-year-old Shobhana Patel, contained remains of multiple people, The Sunday Times reported. Mrs Patel was killed alongside her husband Ashok, 74, as they returned to the UK from a Hindu religious trip. Their son Miten Patel told The Sunday Times: 'There may have been a mistake done. Advertisement 'But for religious reasons we need to make sure my mother is my mother and not somebody else's remains. 'Knowing 100% that it is my mum is very important to us.' Shobhana and Ashok Patel were laid to rest last week, The Sunday Times said. International aviation lawyer James Healey-Pratt, whose firm Keystone Law is representing families of victims of the Air India crash, has told Times Radio the identification issues have raised concerns over the total number of victims whose identities may have been misattributed. 'We know that 12 caskets were repatriated from India to the UK,' he said. 'Of those 12, two had been mishandled, misidentified. 'And so if you extrapolate that sample, you're looking at 40 mishandled remains out of 240. 'So that's a very large number, but we simply don't know. 'And to date, the Indian authorities have not been transparent or helpful about that, which is why there was pressure put on by the families to the FCO and the Prime Minister's office. 'And this was actually mentioned in the meeting at Chequers between Keir Starmer and Prime Minister Modi on Thursday. 'So the families are waiting to hear, first thing next week, about what actions are really being done in India to provide some degree of assurance.' It is understood no blame is being put on any UK agency for the blunders, Mr Healy-Pratt previously told the PA news agency. The only surviving passenger on the plane was Briton Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who previously told The Sun it was a 'miracle' he was alive but felt 'terrible' he could not save his brother Ajay. A preliminary report into the incident from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau found both of the plane's fuel switches moved to the 'cut-off' position 'immediately' after take-off, stopping fuel supply to the engine. It has sparked questions over whether the crash was deliberate.
Irish Examiner
4 days ago
- Irish Examiner
Mother of Air India crash victim ‘heartbroken' after remains wrongly identified
The mother of a British Air India crash victim has said her family is 'heartbroken' after receiving news the remains of her son were wrongly identified, The Sunday Times reported. The London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed into a medical college shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad Airport on June 12, killing 241 people on board. Some 169 Indian passengers and 52 British nationals were killed. Among the British victims were Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek, 39, and his husband Jamie, 45, who had been returning to Britain after celebrating their wedding anniversary in India. Mr Greenlaw-Meek's mother, Amanda Donaghey, told The Sunday Times she flew to India after the crash in order to find her son's remains, providing a DNA sample at Ahmedabad's Civil Hospital to assist the identification process. Following a match on June 20 last year, she returned to Britain with Mr Greenlaw-Meek's coffin. But on July 5, as Mr Greenlaw-Meek and his husband's families prepared to bury the married couple together, police told Ms Donaghey that DNA tests carried out in the UK showed Mr Greenlaw-Meek's remains were not in the coffin. 'We don't know what poor person is in that casket,' she told The Sunday Times. 'I had my doubts but to be told that was heartbreaking. 'This is an appalling thing to have happened,' she added. 'And we would now like the British government to do everything in its power to find out, and bring Fiongal home.' It was revealed last week the coffin of another repatriated British victim, 71-year-old Shobhana Patel, contained remains of multiple people, The Sunday Times reported. Mrs Patel was killed alongside her husband Ashok, 74, as they returned to the UK from a Hindu religious trip. Their son Miten Patel told The Sunday Times: 'There may have been a mistake done. 'But for religious reasons we need to make sure my mother is my mother and not somebody else's remains. 'Knowing 100% that it is my mum is very important to us.' Shobhana and Ashok Patel were laid to rest last week, The Sunday Times said. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (right) with the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi (Kin Cheung/PA) International aviation lawyer James Healey-Pratt, whose firm Keystone Law is representing families of victims of the Air India crash, has told Times Radio the identification issues have raised concerns over the total number of victims whose identities may have been misattributed. 'We know that 12 caskets were repatriated from India to the UK,' he said. 'Of those 12, two had been mishandled, misidentified. 'And so if you extrapolate that sample, you're looking at 40 mishandled remains out of 240. 'So that's a very large number, but we simply don't know. 'And to date, the Indian authorities have not been transparent or helpful about that, which is why there was pressure put on by the families to the FCO and the Prime Minister's office. 'And this was actually mentioned in the meeting at Chequers between Keir Starmer and Prime Minister Modi on Thursday. 'So the families are waiting to hear, first thing next week, about what actions are really being done in India to provide some degree of assurance.' It is understood no blame is being put on any UK agency for the blunders, Mr Healy-Pratt previously told the PA news agency. The only surviving passenger on the plane was Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who previously told The Sun it was a 'miracle' he was alive but felt 'terrible' he could not save his brother Ajay. A preliminary report into the incident from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau found both of the plane's fuel switches moved to the 'cut-off' position 'immediately' after take-off, stopping fuel supply to the engine. It has sparked questions over whether the crash was deliberate. Read More India orders airlines to inspect certain Boeing models after Air India crash
