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British terror victims fly home from Mumbai
Richard Orange in Mumbai1 Dec 2008
Britons badly injured in the Mumbai terror attacks made an emotional journey home today, and one revealed shocking new details of his ordeal.
Harnish Patel, 29, from Putney, was discharged from Mumbai's Jaslok hospital with Dianne and Michael Murphy, and brought back to Britain in an air ambulance.
Mr Murphy, who was the most severely injured in the shootings, had to be transported in a special cardiac ambulance.The trio were today being taken to hospitals nearer their homes to continue their treatment.
As they boarded the plane, Mr Patel said: "I don't think anybody knows how severe my injury was. I was shot three times. It's only today that they told me that.
"Both bullets in my leg actually went all the way through, and the one in my side caused fluid to come into the lungs. I didn't realise that when the bullet exits, that's where it makes the biggest mess. They went through two thighs and missed basically every bone and artery."
But he admitted he was increasingly plagued by memories of the event. He said: "There were two old people next to me who'd been shot clean through their faces, and they were piled on top of each other, and their faces were hanging off. I almost vomited."
The Murphys and Mr Patel were the only Britons aboard the SAS Boeing 737-800 advanced ambulance aircraft, which had been provided by the Swedish National Air Ambulance.
Some Britons in other hospitals were not yet in a stable enough condition to travel, said Nawaz Antia, the consular officer at Jaslok.
Mr Patel said he was now looking forward to meeting his family again as he tried to put the events of Mumbai behind him.
He said: "It's just a bit sad that this has happened - that it's ending like this. I've just got off one plane and now I'm getting on another. It's not the ideal way to come back home.
"I'm looking forward to seeing my family. I've had so many friends and well-wishers from all over the globe - from Hong Kong, I've had loads of people from the UK, I've had people from the US. The nurses were saying to me, 'You are getting so many calls you'll jam up the switchboard'."
Mr Patel said his parents wanted to fly out to see him in hospital, but he said no, adding: "I should have let my parents come. They wanted to. But I'm very independent. I like to go my own way. I was saying,'It's only a flesh wound'. I got that from Monty Python."
Mr Patel said the British consul was now trying to arrange a hospital bed close to his parents' house in Havant.
He said: "They're trying to put me up somewhere on the South Coast so I can be near my parents. If not I'll go to a London hospital, which will at least give me the chance to catch up with everybody... the doctors say I should be on my feet within three or four weeks.
"After a while the drugs they gave me to help me sleep and kill the pain stopped working. Your body becomes immune to them."
Mr Patel spent yesterday with two distant uncles, neither of whom he had met before the shootings.
He said: "I was planning to meet them later - but not like this."
Reader views (16)
- Maya, London
What shall we call the indigenous folk of England:
English.
- Frank, Home Counties, England, 02/12/2008 09:48
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Well said Sanjay, [and by the way FRANK]what about the IRA they wreaked havok in the uk and in northern Irland, killing and maiming innocent people, what nationality are they??? Annie
- Annie, croydon, 02/12/2008 09:27
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I am shocked that you rubbish a young man's experience on the grounds that he is not white in his skin colour. I happen to have met Harnish and I can assure you all that he is British. He has gone through something truly horrific and that makes me sad that a nice man like him should have to go through that. This is a global problem which makes individuals and bystanders, regardless of their origin, victims.
- Katie, Hong Kong, 02/12/2008 07:18
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I am truly surprised at the comments on this page. Who is Frank to suggest that these people aren't british. I would say, even if you are not born here, but, you contribute to the economy,pay your taxes, then you are entitled to call yourself British. People like Frank really need to wake up and realise that his comments only stoke the fire of hatred. What shall we call the indigenous folk of England with no intention of working and supporting this great land....I would love to hear from Frank on this.
- Maya, London, 01/12/2008 16:09
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From my 55 years and being worldly hopefully wise the Patels of this world are wonderful people even lifted the standard of britishness to a higher level
- Dan Lyons, london, 01/12/2008 15:20
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All,
Apologies and I am deeply disturbed by the goings on in India (my parents are from India by the way!).
However, according to Frank the root of all evil seems to be anyone of colour living in the UK!
I'm born / bred in the UK... approaching 40... never claimed a single day of benefits... and I consider myself to be British... despite having parents who were born in India. Frank you can get stuffed!
- Sanjay, Hounslow, UK, 01/12/2008 15:20
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So, by your reckoning if you lived in Pakistan you would become a Pakistani?
- Albert Swift, Aberdeen, Scotland, 01/12/2008 14:59
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It seems to me that some people are hijacking these sites merely to spread their warped views.
Eddie, what is your definition of British ?
- Richard James, London, 01/12/2008 14:15
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Eddie, from London. How on earth do you know that? The man in the article is only 29, he could quite likely have been born here, in which case of course he's British !!
- Louise, Essex, 01/12/2008 14:07
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Sanjay and Frank: couldn't you BOTH drop it and concentrate on the bigger picture of Islamic terrorists trying to cause a war between India and Pakistan? They know Western countries will have to take sides and that will boost membership of Al Qaeda: the whole point about this story is that ordinary Joe Bloggs of any nationality or country bear the brunt of it and instead of bickering everyone should unite against terrorism of all kinds - for which there is NEVER any excuse and only innocent victims.
- Roz, Chamonix, France, 01/12/2008 13:43
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Yes Frank, probably because the people featured in the article are BRITISH. If they had been French or American or Sudanese then the description would have been incorrect. These people are British, therefore the description is correct. I'm afraid you've not made your point very clear.
- We, Kent, UK, 01/12/2008 13:40
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Sanjay,
Aa Frank would say : There's that word "man" being used again.
- Doug, Barnet, 01/12/2008 13:40
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Sanjay.These people aren't British.They just choose to live here.
- Eddie, London, 01/12/2008 12:53
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Frank I do not understand you comment, are you saying becuase Mr Patel's family may have originally come from Asia that they are not British?]
If this is right then how would people like Mr Patel ever be expected to fully contribute if people like you marginalise them.
If, hypothetically, Mr Patel's family had been white then Mr Patel would only be distinguishable by his name and not the colour of his skin or his accent, would you still malign Mr Patel or is it really the colour of his skin that you object to ?
- Richard James, London, 01/12/2008 12:34
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Good old Frank... at it again... nothing useful to add as always... you sad excuse of a man...
What exactly is your point? Do you ever have one?
- Sanjay, Hounslow, UK, 01/12/2008 12:06
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There's that word "British" being used again.
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 01/12/2008 11:20
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