Families of the victims from a tragic Air India plane accident are expressing their frustration over the lack of communication from the Foreign Office, more than a month after they urged for “direct engagement instead of silence.”

On September 12, Miten Patel and Tom Donaghey reached out to the foreign secretary, seeking clarity regarding the mishandling of their loved ones’ remains.

Mr. Patel stated that they have yet to receive even a confirmation of receipt from Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.

In response, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office indicated that it is “still offering assistance, including dedicated consular caseworkers” to the families and is “in dialogue with the Indian authorities.”

Ashok and Shobhana Patel, Miten’s parents, tragically lost their lives when their flight from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick crashed shortly after takeoff in June while they were en route back to their home in Orpington, Greater London.

Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek, brother of Mr. Donaghey and founder of The Wellness Foundry in Ramsgate and London, along with his husband Jamie, also perished in the incident, which involved a total of 242 passengers.

The family of Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek previously reported receiving the wrong body.

In their letter, Mr. Patel and Mr. Donaghey conveyed feelings of “total abandonment” by the UK government.

Mr. Patel expressed that it is distressing to feel that “our own government is not available to support us.”

They urged the government to “demand a complete and transparent explanation” from Indian authorities concerning the handling of their relatives’ remains.

The pair sought “a clear timeline for answers” so that they could “finally commence the grieving process.”

Mr. Patel informed the BBC that Indian officials had not yet issued an apology following a UK coroner’s discovery of “other remains” in his mother’s casket.

The Indian government asserted in July that the remains were treated “with appropriate respect for the dignity of the deceased.”

Mr. Patel remarked, “It feels like you should be able to rely on your own government for support in obtaining these answers, particularly after the recent prime minister’s visit.”

Sir Keir Starmer spent two days in Mumbai in October, meeting with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.

“I recognize there are larger issues at play, but this should have also been prioritized,” Mr. Patel stated.

He insisted that the UK government should “at the very least pose questions” to the Indian authorities.

“For ordinary citizens like us, how are we expected to raise these inquiries? We’ll just be met with closure,” he added.

According to government statements, the crash was addressed during bilateral discussions with Modi both during the visit and in July.