Who are the victims of the Air India plane crash?

All but one of those on board an Air India flight bound for London Gatwick Airport that crashed shortly after take-off in western India on Thursday have died, the airline has confirmed.

There were 242 passengers and crew on board the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, including 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian.

At least eight local people, including four medical students, living in a residential area of Ahmedabad where the plane came down have also died, a senior health official told the BBC.

One passenger, British national Vishwashkumar Ramesh, survived the crash and was treated in hospital for injuries.

Details are still emerging, but these are the people so far confirmed by the BBC to have died.

Ashok Patel, a financial adviser, and Shobhana Patel, a retired microbiologist, were living in Orpington, Kent.

The British couple were on the plane returning home to their two sons, Miten and Hemit, their daughter-in-law Shivani, as well as two grandchildren, Amyra and Arjun.

Miten, the eldest son, told the BBC the couple had spoken to him and Amyra whilst waiting for their flight to depart. They said they were excited that they would soon see their grandchildren again.

They were both full of life and never gave up when times were tough, Miten said.

“We were so fortunate and so proud to have been given them as our parents, we will miss them every day and make sure the kids remember the good times with Baa and Dada [grandma and granddad],” he added.

Renjitha Gopakumaran Nair was a nurse who had just resigned from her job at Portsmouth’s Queen Alexandra Hospital.

She was finalising a permanent move back home to India to be with her two children and elderly mother, and had travelled out there to submit documents for a nursing post in Kerala.

Her family said she had even set a date for a housewarming party at her newly-built home in the city.

Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust described her as a “much-loved and valued member” of their nursing team and said her loss has come as a shock.

She had a 12-year-old daughter and a 15-year-old son.

Father-of-two Ketan Shah was among the passengers on the plane.

The 43-year-old had lived in Dorset for more than a decade, and is survived by his wife Megha, a teenage son and daughter.

He ran a village community store in Shipton Bellinger, Hampshire, and was visiting India to see his sick father.

His close friend of more than 15 years Jigneshkumar Patel said he was “still trying to process this heart-breaking news” and he was “like a brother” to him.

He said a tribute to him was being arranged in Southampton.

“Before the plane took off he called his wife to tell her he was on the flight and that’s the last conversation she had with him,” Mr Patel said.

Three of the British nationals thought to have died in the incident were a family who lived in Gloucester.

Akeel Nanabawa, his wife Hannaa Vorajee and their four-year-old daughter Sara Nanabawa were all on board the flight.

A statement on behalf of their family said they were “heartbroken” and “devastated”, adding that “we are still coming to terms with the enormity of what has happened”.

“They were widely loved and deeply respected,” Imam Abdullah said.

“His [Akeel’s] quiet generosity, her [Hannaa’s] warmth and kindness, and their daughter’s [Sara’s] bright, joyful spirit made a lasting impact on everyone who knew them.

“This tragedy has shaken our entire community. In a place where people know and care for one another, the pain is being shared by many.”

Gloucester Muslim Society said it passed on its “most sincere and deepest condolences”.

“No words can truly ease the pain of such a profound loss, but we pray that the family may find solace in the tremendous outpouring of compassion and solidarity from communities across the world.

“May their cherished memories provide comfort, and may they rest in eternal peace.”

Adam Taju, 72, and his wife Hasina, 70, were flying back from Ahmedabad with their 51-year-old son-in-law, Altafhusen Patel. All three lived in London.

The couple’s granddaughter, Ammaarah Taju, spoke of her shock and disbelief at her parents home in Blackburn.

She said her father, Altaf Taju, had driven to London to be with his sister as they received updates about the crash from Air India and government officials.

Fiongal and Jamie Greenlaw-Meek, a married British couple, ran a spiritual wellness centre in London.

They posted on Instagram earlier on Thursday saying they were about to board the flight from Ahmedabad airport.

In the video, they were seen laughing and joking with each other about their trip to India.

Also on the plane were Javed Syed and his wife Mariam, from west London.

They were onboard with their two young children Zayn and Amani, and were returning from a holiday in India.

Mrs Syed worked at Harrods and Mr Syed worked at a west London hotel.

Ajay Kumar Ramesh was on the flight, sat alongside his brother, the British surviving passenger Vishwashkumar Ramesh.

His cousin, Ajay Valgi, told the BBC that Vishwashkumar Ramesh had called his family to say he was “fine”, but he did not know the whereabouts of his brother.

Vijay Rupani, former chief minister of India’s Gujarat state, was killed in the crash, the country’s civil aviation minister told reporters.

Rupani served as the chief minister of the western Indian state from 2016-21.

He was a member of the governing BJP party.

Singson was a member of the cabin crew on board Air India flight 171, her family said.

Outside the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad, her cousin, T. Thanglingo Haokip, told the BBC he was trying to get information about her but was unsuccessful.

He added that Singson had a mother and brother who were “wholly dependent on her” as she “was the only breadwinner” in her family.

A woman and her grandson from Wellingborough, Northamptonshire were also on board the plane.

Raxa Modha, and her two-year-old grandson, Rudra, were believed to have been flying back to England for a memorial service for Ms Modha’s late husband, Kishor, who died in April from cancer.

Raj Mishra, the mayor of Wellingborough, said: “I extend my deepest condolences to their families, friends and all those affected by this heartbreaking event.

“May their memories be a blessing, and may we come together to support one another in this time of grief.”

A consultant radiologist from Derby, his wife and three young children have been named among the victims.

Prateek Joshi, who worked at the Royal Derby Hospital since 2021, is believed to have been travelling back from India, where his wife Komi Vyas and their three children – five-year-old twin boys Nakul and Pradyut and eight-year-old daughter Miraya, eight – were based.

A colleague who worked closely with Dr Joshi described him as a “wonderful man” and said his passing had “left a profound void”.

“Prateek was full of joy,” Dr Rajeev Singh, clinical director for imaging at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton (UHDB), said. “He approached everything with a smile, radiated positivity and had a great sense of humour.

“He touched the lives of so many people, both through his clinical work and as a colleague and friend to many.”

Dr Singh added it was “hard to accept” that a man with such a passion for life and his beautiful young family had been taken in this way.

The Derby Hindu Temple paid tribute to the family on its Facebook page saying: “Dr Joshi [and his family] were devotees of our Mandir and supported us through their sincere service and dedication.

“We pray to Lord Shiva to grant eternal peace to the departed souls and to give strength to the bereaved family to bear this immense loss.”

Neil Ryan, who lived next door to them for two years, also described them as “the nicest family”.

A family of four, from north-west London, have also been identified.

Hemaxi Shantilal and her husband Girish Lagli, from Wembley, were on board the London-bound flight with their young children Aadiv and Taksvi Girish.

It is believed the family were sat in row 30 of the aircraft with Taksvi sitting on an adult’s lap.

Sisters Dhir and Heer Baxi, both in their early 20s, were returning home to London on the flight, having visited India to surprise their grandmother for her birthday.

Their cousin Ishan Baxi, who lives in Ahmedabad, told PA news agency the siblings had an “amazing aura” and had ambitions to “roam around the world”.

Heer worked as a product manager and “loved statistics and finance”, while Dhir was a fashion designer who had studied at Parsons Paris art and design school, Mr Baxi said.

Husband and wife Kalyani and Gaurav Brahmbhatt were onboard the Air India flight, their close friend Trupti Telrandhe told the BBC.

She said Gaurav and her husband Amul worked together for five years in a company in Burton-upon-Trent in the UK.

“This was the time we all met together and started our family journey in 2009,” she said.

“They were very close friends,” the pharmacist from Derby said. “They never used to tell us that they’re going to visit us. It was always a surprise visit.”

She described them as “extremely hard-working and very friendly” adding they were “fun-loving” and “always motivated us to have big dreams”.

Mohammed Adnan Master had a wife and 11-month-old baby, according to the mosque where he worshipped.

The Cann Hall Deen & Education Trust, east London, posted on social media: “Our sincerest condolences are extended to his wife and 11-month-old baby.”