The Brits on board crashed Air India flight as 52 UK nationals confirmed dead
12 June 2025, 20:49 | Updated: 13 June 2025, 00:37
The identities of the British passengers on board the doomed Air India plane that crashed in Ahmedabad, killing all but one passenger, have begun to emerge.
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Air India flight 171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, careened back to earth in the densely populated Meghani area of the city, hitting doctors’ accommodation and a student canteen minutes after leaving the runway at about 1pm local time.
At least 290 people have been killed in the tragedy. Among them were 169 Indian nationals, 52 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian.
Air India says 229 passengers and 12 crew died - adding that the sole survivor is receiving treatment in hospital.
Gloucester-based Akeel Nanawaba, 36, his wife Hannaa Vorajee, 30, and their four-year-old daughter Sarah, were all on board the plane.
Confirming their deaths in a statement posted on Facebook, Gloucester Muslim Community wrote: “During this moment of overwhelming sorrow, our hearts go out to all those left behind.
“No words can truly ease the pain of such a profound loss, but we pray that the family may find solace in the tremendous outpouring of compassion and solidarity from communities across the world.
“May their cherished memories provide comfort, and may they rest in eternal peace.”
Read more: British influencer couple confirmed among victims of Air India crash, family says
They were flying home from a five-day family celebration when disaster struck.
Javed Ali Syed, an award-winning hotel manager at the Best Western Kensington Olympia Hotel and his wife Mariam were also on the plane along with their two children, Amani and Zayn.
Raxa Modha, 55, from Northamptonshire, was on board with her grandson two-year-old Rudra. Her daughter-in-law Yasha Kamdar was also on board the doomed airliner.
Mrs Modha had reportedly been in India with her ill husband Kishor, who had wanted live out his last days in the country, according to Mailonline.
The mother-of-three was returning to home with her children when the plane crashed.
British wellness influencer Jamie Meek, 45, and his husband Fiongal Greenlaw, 39, are also believed to died on the flight.
The celebrity pair, who had previously appeared on This Morning to promote their spiritual centre, had flown out to India for a wellness retreat and regularly shared updates about their trip on social media.
Jamie's brother Nick Meek confirmed on Thursday evening that the pair had been on the doomed flight.
Nick 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."
Adam Taju, 72, and his wife Hasina, 70, were on board with Altafhusen Patel, their 51-year-old son-in-law.
They all lived in London.
Ammaarah Taju,teir grandchild, shared her horror as she learned the news while at home in Blackburn.
Dhir and Heer Baxi, sisters from London, had been in India for their grandmother's birthday but tragically died aboard the flight back home.
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh is the only survivor.
The British national told the Hindustan Times he heard a "loud noise" around 30 seconds after take-off before the plane plummeted to earth.
"It all happened so quickly," he said, adding he was left with "impact injuries."
A pilot told LBC he believed it was a “tragic accident” and believed it was likely down to pilot error. An investigation is under way to establish the cause of the crash.
He said the 787 was a “phenomenal aeroplane” that was an “absolute dream to fly.”“What we have to realise is errors, mistakes… can happen at any time and people are only human.”
“There is no single manufacturing process in the entire world which is flawless. Boeing will strive to do as much as they possibly can to iron out any errors.”
Local media outlets reported the plane crashed on top of the canteen at B J Medical College.Divyansh Singh, vice president of the Federation of All India Medical Association, told AP at least five medical students had been killed and around 50 were injured after the plane collided with the college.
Campbell Wilson, the chief executive of Air India, expressed his “deep sorrow” after the incident, adding: “This is a difficult day for all of us at Air India and our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, their families and loved ones.”
Shocking images show chunks of the plane's fuselage and tail protruding from buildings close to the crash site, as plumes of smoke emerge from a demolished building.
Horrifying footage from the scene also shows the injured on gurneys as paramedics wheel the injured away.
Dozens of members of the emergency services are currently on the scene, with mass injuries expected as a result of the densely populated crash site.
Follow for updates as more names emerge throughout the night.
