An Air India passenger plane with 242 people on board crashed on Thursday, June 12, moments after takeoff in the Indian city of Ahmedabad.
The identities of a lot of passengers on board began to roll out shortly after, with one video from a couple making the tragic news even more painful.
The plane crashed moments after takeoff
Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, was carrying 242 people from Ahmedabad to London when it crashed in the Indian city on Thursday, June 12.
Reports on the crash said the plane sent out a mayday signal seconds after taking off, but then didn’t answer back before it went down.
Only one passenger survived
The death toll from the tragic event is up to at least 290 people killed so far, as per CNN.
The crash killed everyone who was on board except one British father who miraculously survived after police had predicted no survivors. People on the ground at the scene of the crash were also killed.
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One couple had been on their way back from vacation
A British couple who were on their way back to London from vacation in India particularly pulled at people’s heartstrings as they had posted a video recalling their ‘magical trip’ moments before boarding the doomed flight.
Their family spoke about the loss
Jamie Meek and partner Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek were among those lost in the crash. Meek’s brother Nick, spoke to The Times about receiving the news.
Nick said that the couple were visiting India for a 10-day wellness retreat, with the family having been “expecting” the 44 and 39-year-olds to return home at around 6:30 pm on Thursday.
The couple posted a video prior to the crash
Prior to the tragedy, the couple posted one last video on Instagram, seeming to be preparing for the end of their trip.
In the video, shared by multiple outlets on X, Fiongal said, “We are at the airport just boarding,” adding “Goodbye India,” before Jamie said they would be on a “10-hour flight back to England.”
They seemed to be excited about heading home
With a chuckle, Fiongal said in the clip, “My biggest takeaway is to not lose your patience with your partner,” to which Jamie replied, “You already snapped at me while having chai at the airport! I see you’ve learned nothing.”
“Going back happily, happily, happily calm,” Fiongal said with a smile at the end of the clip.
Jamie’s brother explained that his mother was grieving
Talking to The TImes, Jamie’s brother Nick said their mother was grieving her lost son, and explained that she was watching Jamie’s dog while he was on the trip.
“She is not in a good way,” Nick explained. “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.”
Only one survivor made it
In an update from Air India, of the 242 people who were on board the plane, only one man survived. Reports said that the sole survivor is a 40-year-old British man named Vishwash Kumar Ramesh.
On board the plane were 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, one Canadian national and seven Portuguese nationals.
Air India CEO Campbell Wilson promised in a statement to “share accurate and timely information as soon as we can.”
