The mother of a victim of the Air India who had received the wrong body in the poorly executed reparation scheme has spoken out on her “heartbreaking” moment.
Less than a minute into the trip, Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek, 39, and his 45-year-old husband, Jamie, were aboard the jet from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick after celebrating their wedding anniversary in India. 260 people were killed when Air India aircraft 171 lost power and struck a building, leaving only one passenger alive.
Greenlaw-Meek’s mother, Amanda Donaghey, told The Sunday Times, “It was heartbreaking” to be sent the wrong remains. “We don’t know what poor person is in that casket. This is an appalling thing to have happened.”
Donaghey told the newspaper, “All the time, I feel like I’m just standing on the edge of a black hole thinking, ‘Has he been disposed of?’". She had travelled from the south of France to Ahmedabad on 17 June to find out what had happened to her son.
To identify the remains of their loved ones, families, including Donaghey, were asked to provide DNA samples. This was because the collision caused temperatures to rise to 1,5000 °C as a massive fireball enveloped the region, leaving many of the victims completely burned.
She hurried directly to the hospital to get the tests done because she hadn't slept for days and wanted to get Fiongal and Jamie home as soon as possible.
Reportedly, she was informed that it might take up to 72 hours for the blood test to be analysed to find Fiongal. After three days of looking, Donaghey was about to give up when she was informed that her son had a "match" that would allow his remains to be returned to the UK.
She knew her child was in the coffin when she returned to London Gatwick. However, while the family was organising the funerals, police contacted them to inform them that the remains in Fiongal's coffin were not his, according to a second DNA test conducted by a British coroner.
On July 4, family liaison officers visited with Donaghey, Fiongal's father, sister, and brother. They informed the family that, despite DNA testing, they did not have Fiongal.
Since then, the family has called the Foreign Office every day in an attempt to find out where their son is. Because of this, they have been unable to bury Fiongal alongside his spouse.
“We would like to be able to do the rites necessary for Fiongal for us to move on as a family. And that is what is missing,” Donaghey told The Sunday Times. “And we would now like the British government to do everything in its power to find out, and bring Fiongal home.”
The remains of at least 12 British victims have been returned, according to James Healy-Pratt, a lawyer who represents British families attempting to repatriate their loved ones.
During his state visit to the UK this week, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is anticipated to voice concerns about the mistakes in a meeting with his 온라인카지노 counterpart, Narendra Modi.
Air India said on Saturday that it “stands in solidarity with the families and those affected by the AI171 accident. Over a month ago, Air India started releasing an interim payment of Rs 25 lakh (£21,000) to the affected families, to help them meet their immediate financial needs”.
The statement also added that the interim payment will be adjusted against any final compensation. They claim to have already provided the same to 147 of the 229 deceased, and also the 19 who lost their lives at the accident site.
