The pilot of Air India’s ill-fated flight departing from Ahmedabad made a frantic mayday call just moments prior to colliding with a doctors’ hostel. Captain Sumeet Sabharwal alerted that the aircraft was “losing power” a mere 11 seconds after takeoff – yet was powerless to prevent the disaster.
Sabharwal possessed 22 years of experience and had accumulated 8,200 flight hours. The aircraft was only a few hundred feet in the air when the power seemingly failed, resulting in more British casualties than any aviation disaster since 9/11. On Thursday evening, Air India, the airline involved, confirmed that only one individual survived out of the 242 passengers on board. This survivor is reported to be a 40-year-old British father named Vishwash Kumar Ramesh.
The aircraft was en route to London Gatwick, carrying 232 passengers and 10 crew members, when it crashed mere seconds after take-off. Authorities have stated that at least 265 individuals lost their lives in this tragedy, as locals on the ground were also struck by the massive fuselage, which erupted in flames. In addition to numerous British nationals, there were 169 Indian citizens, one Canadian, and seven Portuguese travelers on the flight.
According to the flight tracking service Flightradar, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner lost communication just seconds following take-off. The last recorded alert occurred less than a minute after the aircraft commenced its journey from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, having only reached an altitude of 625 feet. A horrifying video captured the moment the ill-fated Air India plane took off before crashing in a fireball while carrying 242 individuals. Full distressing CCTV footage was released, showing the Boeing 787 taking off before it began to descend.
Among the deceased British passengers were a family of three, a mother of three accompanied by her grandson, a pair of sisters, and a couple who owned a wellness business.
On Thursday evening, names began to surface in a tragic trickle of information. A British family from Gloucester, consisting of recruitment consultant Akeel Nanabawa, aged 36, his 30-year-old wife Hannaa, and their four-year-old daughter Sara, lost their lives.
A post on Facebook from the Gloucester Muslim Community expressed: “We are deeply saddened by the heartbreaking loss of life. In this time of profound sorrow, our thoughts are with all those who remain.” Raxa Modha, a mother of three aged 55 from Wellingborough, Northants, and her two-year-old grandson, Rudra, also perished in the incident.
Welling borough’s mayor, Raj Mishra, remarked: “May their memories be a source of blessing, and may we unite to support each other during this period of mourning.” Akeel Nanabawa, his wife Hannaa, and their four-year-old daughter Sara were among the victims of the crash. Credit: PA. Additionally, Adnan Master, 30, from Forest Hill, London, was also among those who lost their lives.
He had been visiting family with his wife and child but is thought to have been returning alone. Javed Ali Syed, a hotel manager at the Best Western Kensington Olympia Hotel, tragically died alongside his wife, Mariam, and their two young children, Amani, aged four, and Zayn.
