Latest news with #Surat
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Air India crash report is ‘cover-up', say families of victims
Relatives of some of the 260 victims of last month's Air India disaster have hit out at the airline and the Indian government over the initial investigation report, saying they have rushed to blame pilots while hiding failings that led to the crash. The report released by Indian authorities early on Saturday said initial findings indicated that switches controlling fuel flow to the jet's two engines were turned off, leading to a catastrophic loss of thrust at take-off. According to the report, one of the pilots is heard in the recovered cockpit voice recording asking the other why he cut off the fuel supply. The other pilot responds that he didn't. 'This report is wrong. We don't accept it,' said Ameen Siddiqui, 28, whose brother-in-law, Akeel Nanabawa, died alongside his wife and their four-year-old daughter. 'It's a cover-up to protect Air India and the government,' Mr Siddiqui told The Telegraph from Surat, south of Ahmedabad, where the plane crashed. 'They want to blame dead pilots who can't defend themselves. How can the fuel switches end up turning off at a critical moment, either through pilot error or a mechanical fault? 'And if these pilots were so careless, why did the government allow them to fly at all? Air India until recently was owned by the government.' Mr Siddiqui added that he had rejected Air India's compensation offer and would take the airline to court for 'killing our family members'. 'We have seen videos, showing how poorly Air India maintained these jets. They have to answer our questions and take the responsibility,' he added. Imtiyaz Ali Syed, 42, whose brother died in the crash with his wife Mariam and their two children, said he wanted answers so he could 'begin to heal'. He added: 'Instead, all I got was aviation jargon praising Boeing's systems. The report saying nothing conclusive. I have read it a dozen times, but found no closure.' He demanded that the full cockpit audio be released in the presence of independent and international experts. 'Everyone – Air India, Boeing, the government – has something to protect. But we have lost our entire families. How can we move on without the truth?' he asked. Sameer Rafik, whose cousin Faizan died in the crash, also called on Air India to release the cockpit voice recording. He told the BBC he did not trust the report, saying it made no sense that the pilots would switch off the fuel supply to the engines. 'I don't believe that, because both the pilots were experienced enough to fly. The captain had flown more than 8,300 hours, the co-pilot had more than 3,100 hours,' said Mr Rafik. 'Until the airline provides the cockpit recording to us I'm not going to believe it.' When asked why he was unconvinced by the report, he said he did not trust the Indian government. Authorities said data extraction from the plane's black boxes by a team of Indian and US experts, including some from the US National Transportation Safety Board, began on June 24, 12 days after the disaster. American officials have been frustrated by what they say is the slow pace of downloading, analysing and sharing the contents of the black boxes, insiders have claimed. Air India Flight 171, bound for London Gatwick, crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad airport on June 12, killing 230 passengers and 12 crew members. A further 19 people were killed on the ground. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British national, was the sole survivor of those on board. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Telegraph
Air India crash report is ‘cover-up', say families of victims
Relatives of some of the 260 victims of last month's Air India disaster have hit out at the airline and the Indian government over the initial investigation report, saying they have rushed to blame pilots while hiding failings that led to the crash. The report released by Indian authorities early on Saturday said initial findings indicated that switches controlling fuel flow to the jet's two engines were turned off, leading to a catastrophic loss of thrust at take-off. According to the report, one of the pilots is heard in the recovered cockpit voice recording asking the other why they cut off the fuel supply. The other pilot responded that he didn't. 'This report is wrong. We don't accept it,' said Ameen Siddiqui, 28, whose brother-in-law, Akeel Nanabawa, died alongside his wife and their four-year-old daughter. 'It's a cover-up to protect Air India and the government,' Mr Siddiqui told The Telegraph from Surat, south of Ahmedabad, where the plane crashed. 'They want to blame dead pilots who can't defend themselves. How can the fuel switches end up turning off at a critical moment, either through pilot error or a mechanical fault? 'And if these pilots were so careless, why did the government allow them to fly at all? Air India until recently was owned by the government.' Vow to sue Air India Mr Siddiqui added that he had rejected Air India's compensation offer and would take the airline to court for 'killing our family members'. 'We have seen videos, showing how poorly Air India maintained these jets. They have to answer our questions and take the responsibility,' he added. Imtiyaz Ali Syed, 42, whose brother died in the crash with his wife Mariam and their two children, said he wanted answers so he could 'begin to heal'. He added: 'Instead, all I got was aviation jargon praising Boeing's systems. The report saying nothing conclusive. I have read it a dozen times, but found no closure.' He demanded the full cockpit audio be released in presence of independent and international experts. 'Everyone – Air India, Boeing, the government – has something to protect. But we have lost our entire families. How can we move on without the truth?' he said. Sameer Rafik, whose cousin Faizan died in the crash, also called on Air India to release the cockpit voice recording. He told the BBC he did not trust the report, saying it made no sense why the pilots would switch off the fuel supply to the engines. 'I don't believe that because both the pilots were experienced enough to fly. The captain had flown more than 8,300 hours, the co-pilot had more than 3,100 hours,' said Mr Rafik. 'Until the airline provides the cockpit recording to us I'm not going to believe it.' When asked why he felt so unconvinced by the report, he said he did not trust the Indian government. Authorities said data extraction from the plane's black boxes by a team of Indian and US experts, including some from the US National Transportation Safety Board, began on June 24, 12 days after the disaster. American officials have been frustrated by what they say is the slow pace of downloading, analysing and sharing the contents of the black boxes, insiders have claimed. Air India Flight 171, bound for London Gatwick, crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad airport on June 12, killing 230 passengers and 12 crew members. A further 19 people were killed on the ground. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British national, was the sole survivor among those on board.
Russia Today
08-07-2025
- General
- Russia Today
Bee attack delays flight in India (VIDEO)
A swarm of bees encircled the luggage door of a flight in India, resulting in a delay of over an hour, media reports said on Tuesday. Passengers who had boarded the Indigo flight at Surat International Airport in the western state of Gujarat were left waiting, while airport staff scrambled to resolve the issue as the bees confined themselves to one section by the door, reports said. Airport authorities first tried to drive the bees away using smoke, but this proved ineffective. They then brought in the fire brigade team, who used water to spray the area. 'We informed the airport's fire team. They used a jet of water from a fire tender to remove the bees from the open shutter,' the Times of India quoted an airport official as saying. After the issue was addressed, the flight to Jaipur managed to take off after an hour's delay, local media reports said. 🐝 Bees-iness Class: IndiGo Flight Delayed Over Hour After Swarm Descends on Luggage DoorA fire engine was buzzed in to disperse the bees and get the Surat-Jaipur flight up in the air. Similar incidents were reported in 2019 and 2020 when swarms of bees delayed two separate Air India flights in Kolkata, according to a report by The Indian Express. While in 2019, the bees sat near the cockpit window of a Boeing 737, the following year, the insects gathered near the cargo hold of an aircraft, the report added. India's fast-growing aviation sector has faced a number of problems over the last few months. In June, a UK-bound Boeing 787 carrying 242 passengers and crew crashed into a medical college hostel just minutes after takeoff from Ahmedabad. On Tuesday, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau submitted its preliminary report on the crash to the Aviation Ministry, according to a report by news agency ANI. The findings and conclusions of the investigators remain undisclosed.
Indian Express
06-07-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Know Your City: A slice of Turkey in Surat that sees calls for name change amid current geopolitical churn
'This way to Turkiwad' says a sign in Shahpore, leading to a narrow street that takes its name from the Turks who lived here when they came to trade in Surat, around the 16th century. Turkiwad is a lane with some 35 houses on both sides of the road running east to west, next to Muglisara, or Mughal Sarai, where the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) is headquartered. City-based historian and lawyer Vadud Zarulla, 80, citing Portuguese traveller Duarte Barbosa, says, 'Businessmen from Armenia, the Netherlands, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and Turkey came to Surat for business from the 14th century. The Turkish people settled in the Saudargarwad area, adjacent to Mughlisara. They stayed in a ghetto which began to be known as Turkishwad. The Turks first came to trade in Surat, as the city was well known for its thriving textile business. During that time, textiles were woven on handmade looms. They traded in spices from Malabar and cloth from Surat.' Eventually, the area surrounded by Saudagarwad to the south and Shahpore to the north began to be known as Turkiwad, even in government records. Zarulla says, 'A prominent Turkish trader, Ahmad Chelabi, also settled in Surat during those days, and he was regarded as a leader by the Turkish community. He also built a mosque, which is located near Turkiwad.' The Chelabi ki Masjid in this area has a marble plaque bearing his name on the wall of the mosque's main gate. Chelabi's tomb is also located in this mosque. 'The Turkish people also got married to the local women, and after their death, they were buried in the Saiyedpura graveyard. Presently, houses are built on graveyards, so there are no remains,' adds Zarulla. In the book Surat, Sonani Murat: a chronicle, historian Dr Mohanbhai Meghani describes Surat as a port that traded in the 14th century in spices, muslin and other products. 'Traders from all over the world came to Surat, which was then known as Suryapur, for trade and business. Suryapur was flourishing with business, and this had attracted pirates who looted the ships and tried to enter the Suryapur through the Tapi river. A fort was made on the banks of Tapi river by Khwaja Safar Suleman alias Khudavand Khan, who was governor of Surat (Suryapur) under the regime of Sultan Mehmud-3 in the year 1540-41, in a bid to protect the trading activities from Portuguese traders.' He further writes, 'In 1708, a Turkish trader, Usman Chalebi, with his ship came into the port at Daman, and a Portuguese navy officer, Antonio Sermanto, captured it during their regime. The ship captain showed a document which was a year old. The ship was first taken to Versova in Maharashtra and later stocked at Goa' 'On April 22, 1708, a Parsi broker, Rustam Manek, contacted the Viceroy of Goa, Dom Rodrigo de Costa (1707-1712), and informed him that the goods in the ship belonged to Surat traders and that the traders would attack Daman, which was under Portuguese rule. The Viceroy later allowed the ship to sail at Surat port in 1710. Turkish traders came to Surat for business in the 15th century. Due to the prosperity of Surat, Shivaji robbed Surat twice in 1664.' Meghani further says that in the 17th century, Surat became the centre of international business trade, which attracted traders from all of India and also foreign countries. 'There was a time when flags of 84 ports across the globe were furled at Surat seaport. First, the Portuguese came to Surat, and then the British in 1602 established the East India Company castle (Kothi), and later, the Dutch made their castle in 1602. Similarly, the French had set up their Kothi in 1668. There is no presence of any such castle of Turkish. The business had been flourishing since 1570 as European traders came to Surat for trade in 1573.' The focus shifted to Turkiwad following Operation Sindoor, as there were increasing demands to rename the area. This call for a name change arose due to protests against Turkey, which was perceived to have supported Pakistan during India's military response to the terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, where terrorists killed 26 people. Surat BJP MP Mukesh Dalal wrote a letter to Surat Municipal Commissioner Shalini Agrawal demanding that those areas named after enemy countries be changed. Dalal's letter said, 'There are some areas in the city which have been identified as Turkiwad, Pakistan and Bangladesh. These countries are enemies of our country and promote terrorism, hatred, intending to bring instability in the country and are a threat to the unity and secularism of our country. With such enemy countries still existing in our Surat city, it cannot be tolerated.' While Turkiwad is an officially recognised area in the municipal records, Surat has places informally named as Pakistani mohallas and so on. Dalal further adds, 'With such names, it harms the sentiments of citizens, so I request you to prepare a list of such areas which are identified by the names of the enemy country and start procedures to assign names that have Rashtrawadi (nationalistic) sentiment.' Surat Piyushkumar Shah, president of Shree Jinagana Seva Trust, also handed a memorandum to the Surat municipal commissioner a few days later, requesting that she change the name of the Turkiwad area, which is located close to the SMC headquarters. In the memorandum, Shah said, 'It is the sentiments of the people of Surat to change the name of Turkiwad and give a new name, as Turkey had helped Pakistan in the recent war.' Turkish roots, however, run deep in Surat. Tahir Mishri, 60, a resident of the Turkiwad area and a decorator contractor, who claims Turkish ancestry, said, 'My father and grandfather used to tell us that our ancestors were from Turkey and they were into business and trade relations. We are familiar with the Chelabi mosque, and there is also a Chelabi Apartment in Turkiwad. Presently, nobody in Turkiwad has any documents to claim that their ancestors were from Turkey.' Not far away, a Turkish engineering, procurement and construction firm, Gulermak, has tied up with the Surat Metro rail project.
Daily Mail
26-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Shattering scenes at funeral for beloved footy player who died aged just 23 as the woman he was going to spend his life with delivers heartbreaking tribute
Keen rugby league player and coach Coby Fechner has been farewelled in an emotion-charged funeral that saw his grieving partner remember him as her 'whole world'. The 23-year-old died on June 12, and his girlfriend Phoebe Dean helped send him off with a heartbreaking tribute at the service in the Queensland town of Surat on Wednesday. Fechner's death shattered the footy communities in the Queensland towns of Roma and Surat, as well as Toowoomba, where he won the best and fairest award while playing for the Southern Suburbs Tigers. 'This is the hardest thing I've ever had to do because how do you say goodbye to your whole world?' Dean told mourners at the service. 'This is not how our story was supposed to end. 'We had plans, we had dreams, and now I'm left trying to find words for a love so big, so real, that it feels like it should never be spoken in goodbyes. 'I'm standing here with a shattered heart trying to honour someone who made life worth living. 'Coby was an will always be my heart, my home, my safe life. 'He was my once-in-a-lifetime, gentle but strong, kind but fierce when it mattered. 'He loved me with his whole heart, never held back, not with me and not with anyone lucky to be a part of his life.' Fechner's mother Wrnita read from a letter Cody wrote to her and told the mourners, 'Coby always had a loving and compassionate nature, just like his father,' News Corp reported. 'It was something I saw in him every day.' The talented footballer's sister Eden said she loved her brother 'in every way possible'. 'Cobs, I will love and miss you today, tomorrow and always, until we meet again.' Prior to the service, the Southern Suburbs Tigers remembered Fechner in a touching statement on Facebook. 'It is with deep sadness that we share the passing of our own, Coby Fechner,' it read. 'Coby was more than just a valued member of our club—he was a steady presence, a true professional, and a kind soul who touched the lives of everyone at both our Senior and Junior Clubs. 'His dedication, warmth, and humor made a lasting impact, and his absence will be felt deeply by all who had the privilege to know him.' That tribute drew heartfelt responses from other Queensland clubs and footy competitions, including the Warwick Cowboys, the Gundiwindi Boars, Brothers Toowoomba and Toowoomba Oztag.
