Featured Image Credit: Family Handout
Topics: Air India, Travel, UK News, World News
Rhianna Benson
A British family-of-three have been named following their tragic deaths yesterday, when an Air India flight heading from Ahmedabad in Western India crashed on its way to Gatwick Airport in London.
The aircraft - a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner - was scheduled to depart at 09:50 UK time yesterday (12 Jun), with an arrival time of 18:25.
It was subsequently revealed, however, that 'the last signal' traffic control officers received from the aircraft 'was at 08:08:51 UTC, just seconds after take-off'. The plane collided with a 'doctors' hostel' minutes later.
242 people were on board at the time of crew, a number of whom were members of the Air India crew. 169 had hailed from India, 53 were British, seven were Portuguese and one traveller was Canadian.
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In a statement released by Indian police in the hours that followed the deadly collision, it was suggested that there would be 'no survivors' on board the plane.
It later emerged that one single passenger - since identified as Vishwash Kumar Ramesh - survived the crash.
Local authorities have also began releasing several names of those that died in the collision, including a British family.
Akeel Nanabawa, his wife Hannaa Vorajee and their four-year-old daughter Sara are amongst those that have been named today (13 Jun).
The news was also broken on Facebook, with the Gloucester Muslim Community page issuing a statement.
"During this moment of overwhelming sorrow, our hearts go out to all those left behind," it read.
"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."
Abdullah Samad, headteacher of Sara's primary school, also paid tribute to the family, describing the youngster as a 'ray of sunshine'.
Speaking to press, he added that she 'lit up the classroom', as per the BBC.
Samad also worked closely with Akeel and Hannaa, working as imam at the Masjid E Umar mosque in Gloucester.
"We were praying, hoping they weren't involved because miracles can happen and our prayers are continuous but our expectations are also realistic," he continued, adding that the couple are famed for their charity work.
Mr Samad said the married couple were well-known for their charity work and generosity.
"They touched lots of people and they will be missed by lots of people.
"They helped fundraise for the humanitarian efforts in Gaza and medical care for poor individuals in India. That was part of their service to the community," he said.
The cause of yesterday's plane crash is not yet known.
It's sole survivor, Ramesh - who only sustained 'impact injuries' on his chest, eyes and feet - has since spoken to the Hindustan Times about the moment the aircraft went down.
He claimed to have heard a 'loud noise' around 30 seconds after takeoff, adding: "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."
His brother, Ajay, was seated on another row.