Latest news with #Nanabawa
Indian Express
11-07-2025
- General
- Indian Express
‘Lost my favourite son…': In Surat, 65-year-old businessman grieves three family members who died in plane crash
Soon after real estate businessman Abdulla Nanabawa lost his son Akeel, 35, daughter-in-law Hanna, and granddaughter Sara in the June 12 plane crash, benches were placed outside his Surat home for mourners to sit on. A month later, one of the benches is still there, outside the 65-year-old's house in Rajwadi Mohalla in Surat's Rampura area. It is here that Nanabawa spends most of his time these days with a disposable bottle of water, a pack of cigarettes, and a flask containing hot tea being his constant companions. He goes inside his flat only during lunch and dinner, and sleeps for an hour – from 2 am to 3 am. Nanabawa still remembers the day of June 6, almost a week prior to the crash, when 'his favourite son' Akeel and his family, British citizens based in London, had come down to Surat to surprise him on Bakrid. Akeel ran a placement business in London while the family was based in Gloucester. 'When I reached our ancestral home, I saw Akeel recording a video on his mobile phone, accompanied by his wife and daughter. Tears rolled down my face, and I almost collapsed out of happiness. He told me that he had come down to Surat to celebrate Bakrid. This memory will remain etched in my life forever,' says Nanabawa. His friend Rashid Shaikh, 45, says Nanabawa's life has not been the same after the plane crash. 'Earlier, he used to smoke two packs of cigarettes, but now, he finishes five of them in a day. Before the air crash, he concentrated more on his business and was not seen much with his friends. Now, he spends most of his time in the mohalla, meeting people,' he adds. Shaikh says Nanabawa's friends and neighbours avoid discussing the Ahmedabad plane crash with him. 'We discuss various subjects and make him laugh, so that he returns to a normal state. He also gets irritated when we ask about his ongoing business and says: 'Money is not everything in life. What will I do with such money as I have lost my favourite son?'' Filled with nostalgia, Nanabawa narrates the story of his life — of how he got married to his cousin, a British citizen, when he was 23. They had four children: Ismail (40), Akeel, Hamza (32), and Abdul Rehman (30). The last one is visually impaired, he shares. 'I worked in various firms and earned a steady income to support my family. I owned a house worth crores, amassed wealth in London, and raised my children, providing them with a good education,' he tells The Indian Express. The couple separated and Nanabawa came back to settle down in Surat in 2011. He remarried and went on to have two sons with his second wife. Abdulla regularly visited London every two to three years to meet his sons and their children. He holds an Indian passport, unlike the rest of his family who are British. Fondly talking about Sara, 4, he says, 'She is the only girl child in my first wife's clan as well as my children's family.' Nanabawa would take Sara on rides on his motorbike to the market. He had dropped Akeel, Hanna, 31, and Sara at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad on June 12 and was returning to Surat when he got the news of the crash. He promptly returned and camped at the Civil Hospital for days, waiting to claim their bodies. On June 18, when Nanabawa was offering prayers after the burial rituals of Akeel and Hanna, he got a call that Sara's DNA had matched. He rushed to Ahmedabad to bring her remains to Surat where the three were buried. Sara was among the 13 children below 12 years of age whose DNA strains took a long time to extract. On the compensation offered by Air India and Tata Sons, he says, 'The money cannot bring my son back, what will I do with such money?' He further says, 'The Air India officials had contacted me and offered a compensation amount, but I refused it. When Ismail and Hamza were travelling to India from London to attend the burial, Air India officials at Heathrow Airport contacted them. They offered free air travel from London to India, as well as accommodation. They declined all the offers. We are not after the money. We want the truth to come out. My son Hamza has contacted a legal firm in London, and they are looking at legal options.'
Wales Online
18-06-2025
- General
- Wales Online
Family of Welsh businessman killed in Air India crash feels 'abandoned'
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info The brother of a highly-regarded Newport businessman, who died in the Air India plane crash with his wife and young daughter, said they feel "utterly abandoned". Akeel Nanabawa, 35, together with his wife Hanaa Vorajee and their four year old daughter Sara, met a tragic end when the aircraft they were aboard plunged into a residential district of Ahmedabad shortly after takeoff last Thursday. Hamzah Nanabawa, Akeel's sibling, remains uncertain about when his body will be returned to the family and is urgently seeking more support from the British government on site in India. A family representative told the BBC their plea for help: "We're not asking for miracles – we're asking for presence, for compassion, for action. Right now, we feel utterly abandoned." Despite providing DNA and a three-day wait, the family has yet to recover Akeel's body. The doomed flight, which crashed just moments post departure from Ahmedabad airport, was carrying 242 individuals including 53 Britons; astonishingly, there was one survivor, reports Wales Online. The Nanabawa family were travelling home to Gloucester on the flight. Mr Nanabawa told the BBC: "I need the UK government to come out by themselves, if they've given up all this big talk over in the UK, come out here and help." He said that there is no UK leadership in India and no crisis professionals stationed at the hospital. A spokesperson for the Foreign Office said a dedicated helpline has been set up to support families of the victims and UK air accident investigators are in India to support the authorities. "No-one from UK has even reached out to me, my family, to my sister-in-law's family. Nobody has. So you're saying no-one from the foreign office in the UK or here reached out to us at all, nobody," Mr Nanabawa said. "They haven't done anything for us [or] what we wanted. You have to understand, this is the highest, highest incident in the UK's history of 53 lives, and we are now on day four." (Image: James Manning/PA) He added: "All I want is you guys to come and help and help my brother, my sister-in-law, my niece and all the other 53 people that were on that plane. "Come and help them, please. Because they are grieving. They are hurt. They haven't got anybody. They [haven't got any] structure, no structure at all." Akeel grew up grew up in Newport and went to Caerleon Comprehensive School before founding executive recruitment agency Rec2Go in Gloucester. Members of the Newport community told WalesOnline they were shocked at the news of the family's tragic death. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox PE teacher at Caerleon Comprehensive School James Savastano said: "It's with great sadness that we have lost Akeel in the tragic Air India plane crash. "As a member of my form group he was well-liked and had a wide circle of friends within the year. He was a great personality and, for most of the time, a model student. "He was a talented rugby player and cricketer representing the school with prowess in both sports. "He and his three brothers were all top lads during their time at Caerleon Comp and I'm sure Akeel will be sorely missed by all of the Nanabawa family. Rest in peace Akeel." A Foreign Office spokesperson told the BBC: "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. "We have set up a Reception Centre at the Ummed Hotel, near the Ahmedabad airport, and have a dedicated helpline to provide support and advice for the families and friends of British nationals." The North Wales Live Whatsapp community for top stories and breaking news is live now - here's how to sign up
North Wales Live
18-06-2025
- General
- North Wales Live
Family of Welsh businessman killed in Air India crash feels 'abandoned' as they try to bring body home
The brother of a highly-regarded Newport businessman, who died in the Air India plane crash with his wife and young daughter, said they feel "utterly abandoned". Akeel Nanabawa, 35, together with his wife Hanaa Vorajee and their four year old daughter Sara, met a tragic end when the aircraft they were aboard plunged into a residential district of Ahmedabad shortly after takeoff last Thursday. Hamzah Nanabawa, Akeel's sibling, remains uncertain about when he will be able to repatriate his brother's remains to the UK and is urgently seeking more support from the British government on site in India. A family representative told the BBC their plea for help: "We're not asking for miracles – we're asking for presence, for compassion, for action. Right now, we feel utterly abandoned." Despite providing DNA and a three-day wait, the family has yet to recover Akeel's body. The doomed flight, which crashed just moments post departure from Ahmedabad airport, was carrying 242 individuals including 53 Britons; astonishingly, there was one survivor, reports Wales Online. The Nanabawa family were travelling home to Gloucester on the flight. Mr Nanabawa told the BBC: "I need the UK government to come out by themselves, if they've given up all this big talk over in the UK, come out here and help." He said that there is no UK leadership in India and no crisis professionals stationed at the hospital. A spokesperson for the Foreign Office said a dedicated helpline has been set up to support families of the victims and UK air accident investigators are in India to support the authorities. "No-one from UK has even reached out to me, my family, to my sister-in-law's family. Nobody has. So you're saying no-one from the foreign office in the UK or here reached out to us at all, nobody," Mr Nanabawa said. "They haven't done anything for us [or] what we wanted. You have to understand, this is the highest, highest incident in the UK's history of 53 lives, and we are now on day four." He added: "All I want is you guys to come and help and help my brother, my sister-in-law, my niece and all the other 53 people that were on that plane. "Come and help them, please. Because they are grieving. They are hurt. They haven't got anybody. They [haven't got any] structure, no structure at all." Akeel grew up grew up in Newport and went to Caerleon Comprehensive School before founding executive recruitment agency Rec2Go in Gloucester. Members of the Newport community told WalesOnline they were shocked at the news of the family's tragic death. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox PE teacher at Caerleon Comprehensive School James Savastano said: "It's with great sadness that we have lost Akeel in the tragic Air India plane crash. "As a member of my form group he was well-liked and had a wide circle of friends within the year. He was a great personality and, for most of the time, a model student. "He was a talented rugby player and cricketer representing the school with prowess in both sports. "He and his three brothers were all top lads during their time at Caerleon Comp and I'm sure Akeel will be sorely missed by all of the Nanabawa family. Rest in peace Akeel." A Foreign Office spokesperson told the BBC: "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. "We have set up a Reception Centre at the Ummed Hotel, near the Ahmedabad airport, and have a dedicated helpline to provide support and advice for the families and friends of British nationals."
Indian Express
15-06-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Air India plane crash: At hospital, families look out for each other as wait continues
AT Kasauti Bhavan on the premises of Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, where blood samples of family members of those killed in the Air India plane crash are being taken for DNA sampling, strangers have become family, sharing their grief and taking care of each other as their wait for bodies of their loved ones stretch from hours to days. Three nights ago, the hospital started collecting blood samples of relatives for identifying bodies of the 241 victims of flight AI 171 that crashed in the Meghaninagar area on June 12. The families were told that the results will come after 72 hours, still many of them turn up daily at the hospital, their grief stuck in limbo. Among them is Abdullah Nanabawa, whose son Akeel, daughter-in-law Hannaa Vorajee and four-year-old granddaughter Sara were on the flight. Surat-based Nanabawa has been waiting at the Kasauti Bhavan, along with a group of family and friends, since they reached Ahmedabad on Thursday evening after learning about the crash. Akeel, Hannaa and Sara, all three British nationals, had come to Surat to surprise their family on Eid. Nanabawa tells a relative on the phone that he will return only when he has something to take back home. Other family members and friends have taken up an accomodation near the airport, waiting from sunrise till late at night at the hospital. There are many others like them at the hospital, mostly waiting silently, and sometimes exchanging updates, discussing arrangements for ambulances and last rites with each other or on the phone with families back home. Many of them are seen taking care of each other, asking if they have eaten, ordering tea, as the sound of airplanes flying over the hospital every few minutes fills the air with an eerie silence. The district authorities have also appointed a point person for each of the families for grief counselling and helping with queries and last rites arrangements. 'Usually, after a death, family members assemble to perform last rites. Here, some are waiting for bodies at the hospital, while others wait at home for them to return, so it has been challenging. We have tried to expedite identification process,' says an official. Not far from the Nanabawa family sits Anil Patel, a security supervisor, who is grieving the loss of his son Harshit and daughter-in-law Pooja, both of whom had come from Leicester. Patel was informed Thursday night around 9 pm that he will be called once the DNA test results come in after 72 hours. Still, he comes to the hospital every morning. His friend and colleague Rajesh Vaghela said he took Patel home on Thursday night after he had given his blood sample. 'After midnight, he called me and said he wanted to go back to the hospital. I told him we have to wait for 72 hours but he wanted to be at the place where his son's remains were. I convinced him somehow that I'll take him to the hospital the next day,' Vaghela tells The Indian Express. On Saturday and again on Sunday, Patel was back at the hospital around 9 am, sitting and waiting. 'What do I do? I do not feel good at home,' he says, wiping tears. Having lost his wife to cancer six years ago, Patel lives alone, not far from the hospital. His daughter, who lives in another locality with her family and other relatives are around, but Patel insists on being present at the hospital when the bodies are handed over. By Saturday night, some families began receiving calls about the identification process being completed. They were told to come to the hospital on Sunday. Patel received a call that the DNA match of his son was done, but his daughter-in-law's identification was awaited. 'We asked for both bodies to be handed over together so we can cremate them together,' Patel says. After waiting on Sunday, Patel in the evening was told to come back Monday.
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
School fund to be Air India crash family 'legacy'
A fundraiser in memory of a four-year-old girl who was killed in the Air India crash this week has raised more than £26,000 in its first day. The aim of the Sara Nanabawa Fund was to "create a permanent hardship fund for families attending Al Ashraf Primary School [in Gloucester]", organisers said. Sara attended the school on Stratton Road, Gloucester, and died along with her parents Akeel Nanabawa and Hannaa Vorajee in the crash on Thursday. Akeel's cousin, Abu Nanabawa, told BBC West: "Akeel and Hannaa were very giving people - that's their legacy and we wanted to honour that." He said: "If there are any families or children in the school who are struggling, the money will go towards helping them in an emergency to cover costs they may have. "As a family, we're overwhelmed and thankful for all the support - it means a lot at times like this. "It gives us happiness to know they left behind such a positive legacy." More news stories for Gloucestershire Listen to the latest news for Gloucestershire The three were returning from a surprise trip to India when their plane crashed. A representative of the Nanabawa family, Imam Abdullah Patel, has flown to India while Indian authorities work to identify those who have died. Gloucester Labour MP Alex McIntyre said he was also working to help. He said: "Since this tragic incident, I have been working on behalf of Gloucester residents with the Foreign Office and High Commissioner of India's Office to make sure the family gets the support it needs. "I have been in regular contact with Abdullah Patel including over the weekend. "The British government has resources on the ground in Ahmedabad and they have now contacted Abdullah." Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Tribute to 'kind and joyful' Air India crash victims Tribute to 'kind and joyful' Air India crash victims Girl killed in plane crash was 'ray of sunshine'
