Latest news with #JavedAliSyed
Russia Today
24-06-2025
- General
- Russia Today
‘All we have left are photos': Families of crash victims hold on to final memories
What began as a joyful Eid homecoming turned into an unimaginable tragedy for the Syed family in Malad, a suburb of Mumbai in Maharashtra's western region. Their son, Javed Ali Syed – an award-winning hotel manager based in the UK – had returned home with his wife, Mariam, and their two young children, six-year-old Amani and four-year-old Zayn, to celebrate Eid al-Adha, the annual Muslim festival that fell on June 7 this year. On June 12, the family of four boarded their flight back to London, carrying memories and promises of a future reunion. But fate had other plans. 'I still can't believe my brother and his entire family are gone,' said Syed Imtiaz Ali, Javed's younger brother, as he waited anxiously for the DNA identification process at Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad. 'I still look at his messages, his photos… I can't accept that he's gone,' Ali said, his voice heavy with grief. 'I keep thinking he'll call, that he'll come back. We haven't even told our mother – she's a heart patient. She wouldn't be able to bear this loss.' He added that he hasn't slept in days. It was Javed's wife, Mariam, who had booked Air India Flight 171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick. But the journey ended in catastrophe – the plane crashed just moments after takeoff, leaving only one survivor. Javed, Mariam, and their two young children were among the youngest victims of what is now counted as one of India's deadliest aviation tragedies. The tragedy of June 12 unfolded in mere seconds – a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner burst into flames shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, crashing into a medical college in a densely populated residential area. Thick plumes of black smoke choked the sky for hours. A journey of celebration for many left the whole of India in mourning. 'We didn't know this would be his last Eid,' Javed's father said, his voice breaking. 'All four of them were British citizens. We had no idea it would be the last time we saw them.' He spoke of Javed's long struggle to build a life in the UK. 'He worked so hard to get settled there. He had finally made it. He had promised to support everyone back home. He was happy about a promotion, and he wanted to buy a house for his mother, to take her to London. But our world has collapsed.' 'We are a lower-middle-class family. Javed was our hope. We can't come to terms with losing four members of our family. We just can't accept it.' Only one person miraculously survived the London-bound Air India flight, walking away from the wreckage with impact injuries. Many have called it nothing short of a miracle. The rest, authorities said, were burned beyond recognition, their identities still being confirmed through DNA testing. At Ahmedabad's Civil Hospital, grieving families refuse to leave until they see what remains, no matter how devastating. 'We want to see them one last time,' said Imtiaz, adding that his eyes are locked on his phone, scrolling through photos of his niece and nephew – snapshots taken just before the family boarded the doomed flight. He shared a twist of fate that spared another member of the family. 'My elder sister had planned to travel with them,' he said. 'But she couldn't get a ticket and had to take a different flight. She reached London – they didn't.' India's federal government has launched a high-level inquiry into the crash, with the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) leading the probe, supported by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and international experts from the UK, US, and the aircraft's engine manufacturers. In response to growing safety concerns, the Civil Aviation Ministry has also ordered enhanced maintenance checks across Air India's entire Boeing 787 fleet. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited the crash site and met with survivors in hospital, called the tragedy 'heartbreaking beyond words.' For residents living near the crash site, the sound was deafening. 'It was like a massive blast, followed by thick black smoke billowing into the sky,' said Nitin Sirkar, 45, who lives just ten minutes away from where the aircraft went down in Ahmedabad. 'We couldn't understand what had happened.' An official involved in the rescue operation told RT that fragments of the aircraft were scattered across the area, and the victims' bodies were charred beyond recognition. 'The smoke from the wreckage didn't stop for hours,' the official added. Four days on, authorities are still in the process of identifying victims through DNA testing – a painstaking task that has left grieving families in anguish. While officials say they are working around the clock, the sheer scale of destruction has made the process agonizingly slow. 'The most haunting part was receiving fragments instead of whole bodies – it broke everyone,' said a hospital worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity. According to him, medical staff have been working nonstop to expedite the DNA matching process so the remains can be handed over for the final rites. 'The families are devastated and angry. Each day feels like a year to them,' he said. 'We understand their pain, but the damage is beyond comprehension. The bodies are burned, charred, and reduced to unrecognizable pieces.' Dr Prateek Joshi was the only son of Mohan and Sunita Joshi from the northern state of Rajasthan. In his last selfie, Prakeet's family of five is sitting across from each other on the flight, wide smiles lighting up their faces, as if a long-awaited dream had finally taken flight. They didn't know it would be their last. According to his family, Dr Prateek Joshi had spent years building his life between two worlds – India, where his roots ran deep, and the UK, where a promising future awaited. The consultant radiologist had recently started working at Royal Derby Hospital and Queen's Hospital Burton. After over two years of working away from his family, he was finally bringing them over to begin a new chapter in the UK. On June 12, he boarded the Air India flight from Ahmedabad with his wife, Komi Vyas, a physiotherapist, and their three young children – daughter Miraya and twin sons, Pradyut and Nakul. 'The family had been preparing for this moment for months. Komi had resigned from her job in India to join her husband, and the children were excited to settle into a new home in Leicester, where my son had already set up a life for them,' relayed Mohan Joshi, father of Prateek, from his home in Banswara, Rajasthan. Joshi said that their world had ended in a single instant. 'I had bought new school bags for my grandkids, and during the last night in India, they kept them close to themselves and said they would use them in London. I cannot forget their faces, their voice still rings in my ears. Prateek always spoke of reuniting and a bright future ahead. Now, that future has vanished,' Mohan added, his voice shaking with grief. Prateek's mother is unable to hold on to the shock of losing her son and his whole family in the crash. 'He worked so hard for a better future, only to end like this. Now, our lives and our home are empty without them and with the thought that they will never be back,' Sunita Joshi said. The families have spent sleepless nights in the corridors of Ahmedabad's Civil Hospital – crying, waiting, hoping against hope to take their loved ones home, or what remains of them. The Air India flight had crashed into the residential quarters of BJ Medical College, setting off a firestorm that sent thick plumes of black smoke spiraling into the sky – a scene captured in haunting eyewitness videos. Among the victims was former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, whose death sent shockwaves through the state. Of the 242 people on board, the passenger list included two pilots and ten cabin crew. A total of 169 were Indian nationals, while 53 were citizens of the United Kingdom. India has faced several major air disasters. The worst was the 1996 Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision, which killed 349 people. In 1985, the bombing of Air India Flight 182 off Ireland killed 329. The 1978 Mumbai crash claimed 213 lives, and the 2020 Kozhikode crash killed 21. Most recently, the 2025 Ahmedabad Air India crash left 241 dead out of 242 on board, marking one of the deadliest in India's aviation history. Raveena Christian is mourning the loss of her son, Lawrence Christian, at their home in Ahmedabad. The 30-year-old, who worked in Britain, had returned to India just two weeks earlier to perform the last rites of his father. On June 12, he was on his way back – but never made it. 'Just 17 days ago, I lost my husband,' Raveena said, her voice trembling. 'My daughter is still studying, and Lawrence was the one holding our family together. He had taken a loan for our home… he was everything to us.' She recalled frantically searching the hospital for signs of hope. 'I kept wandering from ward to ward, thinking maybe – just maybe – he had survived.''We don't know how to go on without him,' she said. 'Our lives are shattered.'
Russia Today
23-06-2025
- General
- Russia Today
‘Our world is over': Relatives of Air India victims mourn their loss
What began as a joyful Eid homecoming turned into an unimaginable tragedy for the Syed family in Malad, a suburb of Mumbai in Maharashtra's western region. Their son, Javed Ali Syed – an award-winning hotel manager based in the UK – had returned home with his wife, Mariam, and their two young children, six-year-old Amani and four-year-old Zayn, to celebrate Eid al-Adha, the annual Muslim festival that fell on June 7 this year. On June 12, the family of four boarded their flight back to London, carrying memories and promises of a future reunion. But fate had other plans. 'I still can't believe my brother and his entire family are gone,' said Syed Imtiaz Ali, Javed's younger brother, as he waited anxiously for the DNA identification process at Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad. 'I still look at his messages, his photos… I can't accept that he's gone,' Ali said, his voice heavy with grief. 'I keep thinking he'll call, that he'll come back. We haven't even told our mother – she's a heart patient. She wouldn't be able to bear this loss.' He added that he hasn't slept in days. It was Javed's wife, Mariam, who had booked Air India Flight 171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick. But the journey ended in catastrophe – the plane crashed just moments after takeoff, leaving only one survivor. Javed, Mariam, and their two young children were among the youngest victims of what is now counted as one of India's deadliest aviation tragedies. The tragedy of June 12 unfolded in mere seconds – a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner burst into flames shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, crashing into a medical college in a densely populated residential area. Thick plumes of black smoke choked the sky for hours. A journey of celebration for many left the whole of India in mourning. 'We didn't know this would be his last Eid,' Javed's father said, his voice breaking. 'All four of them were British citizens. We had no idea it would be the last time we saw them.' He spoke of Javed's long struggle to build a life in the UK. 'He worked so hard to get settled there. He had finally made it. He had promised to support everyone back home. He was happy about a promotion, and he wanted to buy a house for his mother, to take her to London. But our world has collapsed.' 'We are a lower-middle-class family. Javed was our hope. We can't come to terms with losing four members of our family. We just can't accept it.' Only one person miraculously survived the London-bound Air India flight, walking away from the wreckage with impact injuries. Many have called it nothing short of a miracle. The rest, authorities said, were burned beyond recognition, their identities still being confirmed through DNA testing. At Ahmedabad's Civil Hospital, grieving families refuse to leave until they see what remains, no matter how devastating. 'We want to see them one last time,' said Imtiaz, adding that his eyes are locked on his phone, scrolling through photos of his niece and nephew – snapshots taken just before the family boarded the doomed flight. He shared a twist of fate that spared another member of the family. 'My elder sister had planned to travel with them,' he said. 'But she couldn't get a ticket and had to take a different flight. She reached London – they didn't.' India's federal government has launched a high-level inquiry into the crash, with the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) leading the probe, supported by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and international experts from the UK, US, and the aircraft's engine manufacturers. In response to growing safety concerns, the Civil Aviation Ministry has also ordered enhanced maintenance checks across Air India's entire Boeing 787 fleet. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited the crash site and met with survivors in hospital, called the tragedy 'heartbreaking beyond words.' For residents living near the crash site, the sound was deafening. 'It was like a massive blast, followed by thick black smoke billowing into the sky,' said Nitin Sirkar, 45, who lives just ten minutes away from where the aircraft went down in Ahmedabad. 'We couldn't understand what had happened.' An official involved in the rescue operation told RT that fragments of the aircraft were scattered across the area, and the victims' bodies were charred beyond recognition. 'The smoke from the wreckage didn't stop for hours,' the official added. Four days on, authorities are still in the process of identifying victims through DNA testing – a painstaking task that has left grieving families in anguish. While officials say they are working around the clock, the sheer scale of destruction has made the process agonizingly slow. 'The most haunting part was receiving fragments instead of whole bodies – it broke everyone,' said a hospital worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity. According to him, medical staff have been working nonstop to expedite the DNA matching process so the remains can be handed over for the final rites. 'The families are devastated and angry. Each day feels like a year to them,' he said. 'We understand their pain, but the damage is beyond comprehension. The bodies are burned, charred, and reduced to unrecognizable pieces.' Dr Prateek Joshi was the only son of Mohan and Sunita Joshi from the northern state of Rajasthan. In his last selfie, Prakeet's family of five is sitting across from each other on the flight, wide smiles lighting up their faces, as if a long-awaited dream had finally taken flight. They didn't know it would be their last. According to his family, Dr Prateek Joshi had spent years building his life between two worlds – India, where his roots ran deep, and the UK, where a promising future awaited. The consultant radiologist had recently started working at Royal Derby Hospital and Queen's Hospital Burton. After over two years of working away from his family, he was finally bringing them over to begin a new chapter in the UK. On June 12, he boarded the Air India flight from Ahmedabad with his wife, Komi Vyas, a physiotherapist, and their three young children – daughter Miraya and twin sons, Pradyut and Nakul. 'The family had been preparing for this moment for months. Komi had resigned from her job in India to join her husband, and the children were excited to settle into a new home in Leicester, where my son had already set up a life for them,' relayed Mohan Joshi, father of Prateek, from his home in Banswara, Rajasthan. Joshi said that their world had ended in a single instant. 'I had bought new school bags for my grandkids, and during the last night in India, they kept them close to themselves and said they would use them in London. I cannot forget their faces, their voice still rings in my ears. Prateek always spoke of reuniting and a bright future ahead. Now, that future has vanished,' Mohan added, his voice shaking with grief. Prateek's mother is unable to hold on to the shock of losing her son and his whole family in the crash. 'He worked so hard for a better future, only to end like this. Now, our lives and our home are empty without them and with the thought that they will never be back,' Sunita Joshi said. The families have spent sleepless nights in the corridors of Ahmedabad's Civil Hospital – crying, waiting, hoping against hope to take their loved ones home, or what remains of them. The Air India flight had crashed into the residential quarters of BJ Medical College, setting off a firestorm that sent thick plumes of black smoke spiraling into the sky – a scene captured in haunting eyewitness videos. Among the victims was former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, whose death sent shockwaves through the state. Of the 242 people on board, the passenger list included two pilots and ten cabin crew. A total of 169 were Indian nationals, while 53 were citizens of the United Kingdom. India has faced several major air disasters. The worst was the 1996 Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision, which killed 349 people. In 1985, the bombing of Air India Flight 182 off Ireland killed 329. The 1978 Mumbai crash claimed 213 lives, and the 2020 Kozhikode crash killed 21. Most recently, the 2025 Ahmedabad Air India crash left 241 dead out of 242 on board, marking one of the deadliest in India's aviation history. Raveena Christian is mourning the loss of her son, Lawrence Christian, at their home in Ahmedabad. The 30-year-old, who worked in Britain, had returned to India just two weeks earlier to perform the last rites of his father. On June 12, he was on his way back – but never made it. 'Just 17 days ago, I lost my husband,' Raveena said, her voice trembling. 'My daughter is still studying, and Lawrence was the one holding our family together. He had taken a loan for our home… he was everything to us.' She recalled frantically searching the hospital for signs of hope. 'I kept wandering from ward to ward, thinking maybe – just maybe – he had survived.''We don't know how to go on without him,' she said. 'Our lives are shattered.'
ABC News
16-06-2025
- General
- ABC News
Family hoping for a miracle after crash of Air India Flight 171 in Ahmedabad
Imtiaz Ali Syed is holding out for a miracle. His brother, Javed Ali Syed, was flying home to London. But the Boeing 787 Dreamliner carrying him, his wife Mariam, and their two young children — Zayn and Amani — fell out of the sky just 30 seconds after take-off. Flight AI171 was headed from Ahmedabad, a city in western India, to London Gatwick Airport when it crashed into one of BJ Medical College's hostels, erupting into flames and killing 241 of the 242 people on board. Miraculously, one British passenger was able to hobble away from the flaming debris. Injured, but alive. It is one of the deadliest aviation disasters the world has seen in decades. "I still haven't lost hope," Imtiaz says. "Maybe one, two, three months or a year later, maybe he will come back and say, 'I was somewhere else and no-one saw me.'" When the news broke, Imtiaz convinced himself there had been a mistake. Perhaps the flight number was different. Perhaps his brother had missed the plane. "I told my sister it couldn't be the same one," he says. Then came an unverified list circulating online, claiming to show survivors. Javed's name was on it. For a brief moment, Imtiaz felt relief. An hour later the same list was released — the same names, but now they were said to be deceased. Imtiaz still hasn't told his mother. Javed had brought his family to India from the UK for Eid and to care for her in Mumbai after a heart attack. "I know that if she hears about this, I will have to bear another tragedy," Imtiaz says. In the hours after the crash, families began lining up at a temporary forensic collection unit on the medical college campus, offering DNA samples to help identify their loved ones. Days later, families are still waiting. For names. For remains. For clarity in a tragedy so total it has reduced bodies to fragments, and lives to waiting lists outside morgues. The plane had 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian onboard. It was carrying more than 125,000 litres of fuel. Investigators say the explosion on impact was so powerful it incinerated everything in its path and will make identification a mammoth task. As of Monday, 99 victims had been identified through DNA testing and 64 bodies were released to their families. For those who were not on the flight but on the ground when it crashed, the situation is even more agonising. With no manifest to work from, they are simply listed as missing. Among them is Sarla Ben Thakor, a cook at the college hostel, and her two-year-old granddaughter, Aadhya. Sarla Ben's husband, Prahlad Thakor, was just a few minutes away when the plane tore through the building. "Everything was on fire, there was smoke everywhere," he told 7.30. "We were dousing the fire with a hose. There was nothingvisible. The heat was too much, my eyes started burning so [I] came out." He and Sarla Ben had worked at the hostel for over a decade, feeding generations of medical students. Their grandchildren, Aadhya and Madhav, often came along to escape the heat. That day, Madhav had gone outside to play. Aadhya stayed behind with her grandmother. Since the crash, Prahlad has been walking a punishing circuit between the crash site and the mortuary, searching for answers. Despite the heat and the overwhelming stench of death, he's been begging authorities to let him back into the site, convinced he might recognise something. "I have to look for her. My wife might have fallen. Something may have hit her head. I must look for her," he says. He's been turned away each time. "I'm the one who will recognise my wife and granddaughter. How can we know unless I go inside to search?" "I am in pain, all I have is my son and wife." For many families, the grief lies in what they lost. For others, the pain comes from what they saw and somehow survived. Ojas Pandya was heading into the canteen for lunch when the plane came down. "There was a boom and fire, and the smoke was so intense that we were not able to see anything. There was a burst of dirt and … I thought that at first it might be an earthquake," he said. The 22-year-old intern doctor lost four friends. And Sarla Ben, the cook he'd seen every day. "It is actually very much overwhelming, you know, because at this moment I hear ambulance sirens in my ears, ringing." India is leading the investigation into what went wrong, with support from US and UK agencies, reportedly focusing on the plane's engine, flaps and landing gear. The nation's aviation regulator has also ordered urgent safety checks of Air India's entire Boeing-787 fleet. The black box has been recovered, but it could take days to retrieve and analyse the data. Air India's parent company, the Tata Group, has announced $180,000 in compensation per victim. But families say they also want accountability. "This is a mistake. It is negligence. I do not consider it an accident," Imtiaz says. "Only those who are going through this can understand it. My brother's entire lineage has ended. So many people were connected with them. It's all gone. In a matter of 30 seconds. Just 30 seconds." Watch 7.30, Mondays to Thursdays 7:30pm on ABC iview and ABC TV Do you know more about this story? Get in touch with 7.30 here.
Indian Express
13-06-2025
- General
- Indian Express
17 from Maharashtra killed in Air India crash: Pilot, 4 of family among dead
Cities Clive Kunder — the first officer on Air India's London-bound flight that crashed right after takeoff from Ahmedabad — was only two months away from his wedding. Among the other victims were Javed Ali Syed and his family members.
Daily Mail
13-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Heartbreak as youngest named victims of Air India crash so far are revealed to be in British family-of-four - as relatives hit out at 'no support' from Foreign Office
Relatives of a British couple who died in the Air India crash alongside their two young children shared their heartbreak today - as they accused the Foreign Office of giving them 'no support'. Harrods brand ambassador Mariam Ali Syed, 35, her husband Javed - a manager at the Best Western Kensington Olympia Hotel - and their children, Zayn, five, and Amani, four, were passengers on stricken Air India Flight 171. Zayn and Amani are believed to be the youngest named victims of the crash so far. Mrs Ali Syed's sister-in-law, Yasmine Hassan, 45, broke down while confirming the children's names, and pleaded with officials to offer more support to the families of the 53 British citizens onboard the flight. 'They are so small, they are five and four. And it's just thinking how scared they must have been,' she told the Telegraph. 'We're not angry about the lack of answers [from UK government officials] – we understand that takes time. 'We're angry because no one has reached out to offer support or even ask if we need anything. These are British citizens.' The Gatwick-bound plane carrying 242 passengers crashed just moments after take-off from Ahmedabad Airport in the northwestern Indian state of Gujarat. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner careened back down to earth in the densely populated Meghani area of the city just minutes after leaving the runway around 1.40pm local time (8.10am BST). Terrifying CCTV footage shows the plane appear to lose control before it starts rapidly descending with a high nose angle and landing gear deployed. It plunges into the ground and explodes in a huge fireball, as a massive plume of black smoke is seen billowing out from crash site. Aviation experts say that the aircraft may have suddenly lost power 'at the most critical phase of flight' after takeoff. A video posted to social media appeared to show the plane descending in a controlled manner with a high nose angle and landing gear deployed The plane momentarily disappeared from view behind trees and buildings before a massive fireball erupted on the horizon in this horrifying clip All but one person aboard Air India Flight 171 are feared to have died in the tragedy. Also among them were Akeel Nanawaba, Hannaa Vorajee and their daughter Sarah, 4, Fiongal and Jamie Greenlaw-Meek, Raxa Modha, her grandson Rudra and her daughter-in-law Yasha Kamdar, and Ajaykumar Ramesh, the brother of the tragedy's only survivor. The sole survivor, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who was seated in 11A, is also British and told the Hindustan Times he had lived in London for 20 years. Vishwash's brother Ajaykumar accompanied him on the flight and was sat on the other side of the aisle in seat 11J, but he sadly perished in the fireball explosion. Akeel Nanawaba, 36, his wife Hannaa Vorajee, 30, and their daughter Sarah, four, were flying home from a five-day family celebration when the Dreamliner crashed. The successful young couple ran a global recruitment agency with offices in Ahmedabad and Gloucester. Their shocked business partner Shoyeb Khan Nagori told MailOnline: 'I had dinner with them last night. They were a lovely family and Akeel and his wife were extremely successful people.' Mr Nagori said he was too upset to find the words to describe their daughter Sarah who had spent time with her grandfather during the brief visit. He said: 'They were here to celebrate a family festival and to spend some time with Akeel's father. 'Akeel was a really good man, I'm in shock, we were all having dinner together the night before.' Jamie Greenlaw-Meek, 45, (right) and husband Fiongal, 39, live in London, run a wellness and healthy lifestyle company called the Wellness Foundry, and had been in India on holiday. They are also believed to have been on the flight Mr Nagori was with hundreds of other relatives of crash victims waiting for updates at the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad. He founded recruitment company Iceberg Outsourcing Services with Mr Nanbawa, who was the managing director. Hannaa, a trained midwife, was head of finance with a sister company called Rec2go Ltd, also based in Gloucester. Recently widowed Raxa Modha, 55, her grandson two-year-old Rudra, and her daughter-in-law Yasha Kamdar are all believed to have been onboard the ill-fated airliner. Mrs Modha had been in India for some time fulfilling the dying wish of her ill husband Kishor who had wanted to live out his last days in his homeland. Following his recent passing, the mother-of-three was returning with her family to their home in Northamptonshire when disaster struck. In a twist of fate, Kishan Modha – the toddler's father and Raxa's son – had also been in India but was not on the flight as he was due to catch another tomorrow. Speaking to MailOnline, a family friend said: 'It's incredibly sad, the whole family is already grieving Kishor's death. 'Kishan fortunately was getting on another flight, but we don't know what has happened to the others.' Neighbours at the family's detached home in Wellingborough said Mrs Modha is a 'lovely lady'. They said she had been in India for an extended period to support her husband who was battling an illness. The respected businessman, who launched a successful catering business after settling in the UK in 1989, died on April 26. The family were due to hold a service in his memory later this month. In a memorial for him, the family said he was a 'cherished husband' to Raxa and 'proud grandfather to Rudra, who brought him immense joy'. The mayor for Wellingborough, Raj Mishra offered his condolences to the family on a post on Facebook adding it was devastating for the local community. 'I extend my deepest condolences to their families, friends, and all those affected by this heartbreaking event,' he added. Police said they had found a lone survivor who had been sitting in seat 11A when Flight 171 crashed shortly after takeoff in India British celebrity wellness guru Jamie Meek and his husband are also believed to have perished after they posted a haunting video of themselves at the airport waiting to board the Air India flight. Mr Meek, 45, and husband Fiongal Greenlaw, 39, who live in London, run a wellness and healthy lifestyle company called the Wellness Foundry, and had been in India on holiday. In a chilling final social media video posted from Ahmedabad airport as they waited to board their doomed flight the couple were dressed in flowery shirts looking happy at the end of their break. In the clip, Fiongal says: 'We are at the airport just boarding. Goodbye India. Ten-hour flight back to England. What was your biggest takeaway Jamie? Jamie replies: 'I don't know,' with his partner laughing and responding: 'Thanks for your contribution.' Fiongal than jokes that his biggest takeaway was 'don't lose your patience with your partner' to which Jamie responds with a smile: 'You snapped at me at the airport for having chai.' As other passengers mill in the background, Fiongal laughs at the camera and reveals that he is going back to Britain 'happily, happily calm.' Mr Meek's brother, Nick Meek, told MailOnline: 'We were expecting him home tonight. He should have landed at 6.30pm and then driven up for about 11pm to get his dog who is staying with our Mum. 'She is not in a good way. It is all very raw for her at the moment. It's a lot to take in and we only heard this news a couple of hours ago. 'Jamie and his husband Fin had been out there for 10 days as a couple to do a wellness retreat. 'They both worked in holistics and had their own business.' The caretaker from Birmingham said it was not the first time his brother had been to India but it was the first time they had gone as a couple. He said that his brother and Fin had married in 2022 and lived in Ramsgate, Kent. In other videos posted by the couple, they showed the stunning hotel they were staying in while in Ahmedabad having completed a seven-hour car journey. The company specialises in tarot and psychic readings, reiki and other alternative spiritual therapies. British father Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, was filmed walking out from the rubble after some how miraculously surviving the catastrophic crash. Fiongal lies on a large bed as he speaks to the camera, showing off a giant swing in their room and describes the hotel as 'beautiful. He beams: 'Feeling very, very happy.' The couple captured the happy time they had in India in a series of social media posts. This included getting henna tattoos, shopping for fine fabrics and other gifts and driving through chaotic traffic in a tuk-tuk. They arrived in Ahmedabad just a day before flying back with Fiongal posting in a video: '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 revealed what a memorable trip they had both had: 'We have been on quite a journey and then spending our last night here in this beautiful hotel, it's really been great way to round off the trip.' According to its website, The Wellness Foundry was founded by Fiongal in 2018 after he had a 'spiritual awakening' following a mysterious illness. The website adds: 'Seeking healing beyond conventional methods, Fiongal delved into alternative practices that resonated deeply within his soul.' Speaking to local media from the safety of a hospital bed, the passenger who was in seat 11A said: 'Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly.' 'When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran. 'There were pieces of the plane all around me. Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital.' Astonishing footage showed the passenger walking away from the scene with some visible injuries. Vishwash, who was returning home to London after visiting family, sustained injuries to his chest, eyes and feet, he told the Hindustan Times. The regional police chief said 'some locals would have also died', given that the plane smashed down into offices and accommodation for doctors close to a hospital. So far, rescue teams supported by the military have recovered 204 bodies, with casualties from the plane and the area surrounding the crash. The passengers included 159 Indian nationals, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and a Canadian. Eleven of those on board were children, including two newborns. A spokesman for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) said: 'Our thoughts are with all those affected by the tragic plane crash in India – this is an unfolding situation, and it will undoubtedly be causing a huge amount of worry and concern. 'FCDO staff are working urgently with local authorities in India and the UK to ensure families and friends are supported in the coming days, whether in the UK or in India.'
