Air India Plane Crash

Before we come to the statement, may I from the Chair pass on my condolences to the family of Ketan Shah, one of my constituents in Shipton Bellinger, who was tragically killed in the Air India crash? Ketan was a valued member of the local community, where he ran the village stores, and the whole community is devastated by his loss.

With permission, Madam Deputy Speaker, I want to update the House on our response to Thursday’s devastating Air India plane crash. I know the whole House joins me and you in offering heartfelt condolences to all those who have lost loved ones in this tragedy. The images of those boarding the flight are heartbreaking. Families across both countries, including in my constituency and yours, have been shocked and horrified. They are mourning, and we mourn with them.

Official casualty figures are not yet confirmed. However, our understanding is that of the 242 passengers and crew, 53 were British nationals, and just one has survived. Also, many people in the medical college that the plane hit died or were badly injured. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has passed on our deepest sympathies to Prime Minister Modi. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary also spoke to his friend Minister Jaishankar on the day of the crash.

The Foreign Office immediately stood up crisis teams in London, Delhi and Ahmedabad. Our high commissioner in India travelled to Ahmedabad and remained on the ground throughout the weekend, visiting the local hospital and the crash site. We have increased consular assistance and are in contact with all the families of British nationals who have asked for our help. In Ahmedabad, we have set up a UK reception centre to help British nationals in person. A team of four investigators from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch arrived on Friday to support work on the ground. That same morning, we also deployed five people from the rapid deployment team to strengthen the support that we are offering in person. We also supported the provision of a British Red Cross psychological support officer, who is now in India helping families to cope with the tragic emotional impact. We deployed specialist disaster victim identification experts on the ground; they are liaising with those involved in the Indian authority-led identification process. In the UK, police family liaison officers were deployed over the weekend to support families based here during an incredibly difficult time. We are of course in regular close contact with Air India about the support package that it is offering, which includes funding flights and full repatriation costs to bring loved ones home.

I call the shadow Foreign Secretary.

The tragic deaths of 242 men, women and children on Air India flight 171 from Ahmedabad to Gatwick on Thursday, and the reports of at least 29 fatalities on the ground, are beyond distressing and upsetting. It is still difficult to comprehend the scale of the tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with everyone affected, particularly the families and relatives of lost ones. All our thoughts are with those who are in hospital having suffered injuries, and with Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, whose survival of the crash is an absolute miracle, though he sadly lost his brother.

Many of those who died—52—were British, and many families in the UK will have lost loved ones who were Indian nationals, too. Over the past few days, we have started to hear about the lives of those who died, and the grief that their families are going through. There was the loss of Akeel Nanabawa, his wife Hannaa Vorajee and their four-year-old daughter Sara; of Javed and Mariam Syed, and their two children, from London; of Hardik Avaiya and Vibhooti Patel, a couple from Leicester who had gone to India to celebrate their engagement; of Fiongal and Jamie Greenlaw-Meek; and of the former Chief Minister of Gujarat, Vijay Rupani. Their passing, and that of everyone who died, will be greatly felt. Our condolences go to all of them. The pain that they are all experiencing is clearly unimaginable.

Following the tragedy, we have seen communities come together in mandirs, gurdwaras and other places of worship to pray and seek comfort in these difficult times. This evening, a vigil is being organised by the Indian high commissioner, at which the community will come together to reflect, mourn and pray. I thank the high commissioner’s team for their help and kindness in their consular support. I pay tribute to all those offering assistance to communities across the country who have been affected. The support shown at trooping the colour on Saturday will have been greatly appreciated. I put on the record our thanks to the emergency services in India for their response.

I thank the shadow Foreign Secretary for the tone of her questions. She rightly points to the scale of this; it is the single largest loss of British life in an aviation accident since 9/11, and one of the single largest losses of British national life overseas in one incident in a long time. Ten years ago this month, practically, I was part of the diplomatic service on the ground in Sousse after a terrible tragedy. I know well the agony for families seeking to pick up the pieces after an incident like this.

The right hon. Lady asks an important question about the mortuary process, which can be particularly traumatic in another country. I can confirm that any British national who wants consular assistance in going through that process will have it from my officials. She rightly raises questions that have been asked by some of the families about the location of our reception centre and our presence at the hospital. Since becoming aware of those reports, I have sent officials to the hospital. We are not aware at the moment of British nationals congregating there. I have asked officials to review the signage and general arrangements to ensure that people know where our reception centre is. It is at Ummed hotel, which is close to the airport, because we though that would be the best place to receive British nationals, rather than the hospital, where, tragically, there are no living British nationals.

We keep these questions under review. As I know from my experience, in tragedies like this, it is difficult to get right the first time the assistance that British nationals need. We will learn lessons with each step. I spoke to some of the families who made those points this afternoon.

I call the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Will the Minister please convey the gratitude of this House to the Foreign Office staff and the police officers who have had such difficult work to do on behalf of us all? Public service can be very hard sometimes, but we are very grateful.

I am very grateful to my right hon. Friend for those remarks. The family liaison officers and the consular staff on the ground are trying to stand with British nationals during some of their darkest moments, and their work is very hard, exactly as she says. We will stay with those affected by this situation for as long as it takes, as the shadow Foreign Secretary asked us to.

I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.

I thank the Minister for advance sight of his statement. I associate myself with his remarks and those of other colleagues about our collective grief and shock at so many lives being lost in this appalling crash, including the lives of 52 UK citizens. I express my condolences to the families of all those who lost their lives in the tragedy. It will be utterly devastating for them, and it is vital that the Government ensure that they are fully supported. What reassurances can the Minister provide that each of the families is receiving the support that they need, and is being kept updated with any and all new developments related to the crash?

Reports suggest that investigators have now recovered the cockpit voice recorder from the flight, which should provide crucial new insights into why the plane went down. British and American teams are on the ground to support India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau in the inquiry into the cause of the crash, and I thank those teams for their work. What steps is the Department taking to support them and other investigators to ensure that no stone is left unturned in the search for answers?

A British citizen, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, was the only survivor of the crash. I speak for the whole House in expressing our relief that he is alive, but I also recognise what a traumatic experience this will have been for him, including having to come to terms with the loss of his brother, Ajay, who was also on the flight. Can the Minister outline what support the Government are providing to Mr Ramesh and his family to enable his physical recovery and access to wider support?

I thank the hon. Lady for her question. I am sure she will understand why I will decline to comment in too much detail on Mr Ramesh’s case in the House. We can all only imagine the agonies that he and others affected by the incident will be feeling.

I will not comment too much on the ongoing investigation. It will be a complex operation, but I know that our Air Accidents Investigation Branch is among the best in the world and will do everything it can. It is fully supported by our high commissioner in India and by the Foreign Office to do that vital work. As the hon. Lady said, the black box has been retrieved and further insights will no doubt be gleaned over time.

I am deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic Air India crash in Gujarat. My thoughts are with the victims, their families and all those affected in India and in the UK. Air India is an important operator for many of my constituents, especially for those in the Indian diaspora, and about 100 Air India flights arrive in Birmingham airport every month. What reassurances can the Minister give my constituents that the UK Government are supporting efforts to determine the cause of the Air India crash with our Indian counterparts?

As I said, British investigators are now in India working with the Indian authorities. We are also in direct contact with Air India.

Around 30% of my constituents emanate from Gujarat originally. On Saturday, we came together in one of the Hindu temples with the interfaith council, and people of all religions and none expressed their condolences. At that temple, 20 people have lost relatives. Last night, we attended another vigil at a temple where four relatives of people who work there have lost their lives.

Can the Minister give us an update on one issue? For the 53 UK nationals who sadly lost their life, we have been able to communicate to their family that they have unfortunately died, but there were 169 Indian nationals who were almost certainly due to visit family in the UK—families that extend across the country. Has the FCDO been able to advise those families of the loss of those lives, so that instead of being by the telephone waiting in hope that their relatives were not on the plane, they have a certain outcome?

I am happy to talk to the hon. Member about the particulars of the cases that he is referring to. We will, of course, do everything we can to try to minimise uncertainty.

All hon. Members will have the victims in their thoughts and prayers. I thank the firefighters, the first responders and the emergency service workers who helped at the crash. On Saturday, a vigil was held at the Mahatma Gandhi statue at Manchester cathedral. I was one of the speakers, along with my hon. Friends the Members for Manchester Rusholme (Afzal Khan) and for Bolton West (Phil Brickell). We had prayers from a local Hindu priest, an imam, a member of the Sikh community and the dean of the cathedral.

The Minister mentioned the British high commissioner in India, Her Excellency Lindy Cameron, who is doing an important job. Can the Minister assure me that the high commissioner’s team in Delhi, and that of the deputy high commissioner in Ahmedabad, will have all the support and resources that they need to make sure that the victims and the families are supported?