The Foreign Office has issued an urgent update for all British nationals who are currently in India after an Air India plane crashed in Ahmedabad on Thursday, leaving 241 people on board dead. According to the officials, there were 53 British nationals on the flights, 169 Indian nationals, one Canadian, and 7 Portuguese nationals on the plane.
The Foreign Office has now revealed that a UK Reception centre has been set up in Ahmedabad to provide assistance to the families of British nationals impacted by the tragic incident. The lone survivor from the tragic incident is 40-year-old Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British national, is undergoing treatment at a hospital in India.
The Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) stated: “The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has set up a UK Reception Centre in Ummed Hotel, near the airport in Ahmedabad, to provide support and advice for the families and friends of British nationals following the plane crash of Air India AI 171 on June 12.
“The UK Reception Centre is open from 0900 to 2100 IST daily.”
Also on the flight were married couple Fiongal and Jamie Greenlaw-Meek from west London, who had posted a video from the airport on their Instagram feed shortly before boarding.
Tata Sons, Air India’s owner, said it would give around £86,000 to the families of each person who died, cover the medical costs of those injured and support the rebuild of the medical hostel.
British nationals who require consular assistance, or have concerns for friends or family, call:
+91 (11) 2419 2100 (in India)
+44 (0) 20 7008 5000 (in the UK)
The Government of Gujarat State have established an Emergency Centre that can be contacted on: +91 (0) 79 23251900 / +91 (0) 9078405304.
Air India have set up dedicated passenger hotline numbers for those seeking more information, call:
1800 5691 444 (in India)
0091 8062779200 (from outside India)