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17 Jun, 2025
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'We don't know when we will be able to bring my brother's body home after Air India crash'
@Source: walesonline.co.uk
The brother of a popular Newport businessman who died in the Air India plane crash alongside his wife and four-year-old daughter said they feel "utterly abandoned". Akeel Nanabawa, 35, his wife Hanaa Vorajee and their four-year-old daughter Sara were tragically killed when their plane crashed into a residential area in Ahmedabad less than a minute after its take-off on Thursday. Akeel's brother, Hamzah, said he doesn't know when he will be able to bring his brother's body back to the UK. He is calling on the UK government to provide more support on the ground in India. A family spokesperson told the BBC : "We're not asking for miracles – we're asking for presence, for compassion, for action. Right now, we feel utterly abandoned." They have not received Akeel's body despite giving DNA and waiting three days. The plane was carrying 242 people when it crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad airport, in western India, including 53 Britons. Only one passenger survived. The Nanabawa family were travelling home to Gloucester on the flight. Mr Nanabawa told the BBC: "I need the UK government to come out by themselves, if they've given up all this big talk over in the UK, come out here and help." He said that there is no UK leadership in India and no crisis professionals stationed at the hospital. A spokesperson for the Foreign Office said a dedicated helpline has been set up to support families of the victims and UK air accident investigators are in India to support the authorities. "No-one from UK has even reached out to me, my family, to my sister-in-law's family. Nobody has. So you're saying no-one from the foreign office in the UK or here reached out to us at all, nobody," Mr Nanabawa said. "They haven't done anything for us [or] what we wanted. You have to understand, this is the highest, highest incident in the UK's history of 53 lives, and we are now on day four." He added: "All I want is you guys to come and help and help my brother, my sister-in-law, my niece and all the other 53 people that were on that plane. "Come and help them, please. Because they are grieving. They are hurt. They haven't got anybody. They [haven't got any] structure, no structure at all." Never miss a Newport story by subscribing to our newsletter here Akeel grew up grew up in Newport and went to Caerleon Comprehensive School before founding executive recruitment agency Rec2Go in Gloucester. Members of the Newport community told WalesOnline they were shocked at the news of the family's tragic death. PE teacher at Caerleon Comprehensive School James Savastano said: "It’s with great sadness that we have lost Akeel in the tragic Air India plane crash. "As a member of my form group he was well-liked and had a wide circle of friends within the year. He was a great personality and, for most of the time, a model student. "He was a talented rugby player and cricketer representing the school with prowess in both sports. "He and his three brothers were all top lads during their time at Caerleon Comp and I’m sure Akeel will be sorely missed by all of the Nanabawa family. Rest in peace Akeel." A Foreign Office spokesperson told the BBC: "Our staff continue to work around the clock in the UK and India to support the families and loved ones of all those impacted by the crash. "We have set up a Reception Centre at the Ummed Hotel, near the Ahmedabad airport, and have a dedicated helpline to provide support and advice for the families and friends of British nationals."
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