Photos from the plane crash site in Ahmedabad, India
Firefighters doused the smoking wreckage of the plane, which would have been fully loaded with fuel shortly after takeoff.
Ajit Solanki/Associated Press
Officials say that Air India flight AI 171, a Boeing 787-8, crashed into a residential area called Meghani Nagar five minutes after taking off.
SAM PANTHAKY/AFP via Getty Images
The airline said the Gatwick Airport-bound flight was carrying 242 passengers and crew.
SAM PANTHAKY/AFP via Getty Images
Ajit Solanki/Associated Press
The crash was the first of a Boeing 787 aircraft, according to the Aviation Safety Network database.
SAM PANTHAKY/AFP via Getty Images
A charred car could be seen close to where the plane crashed.
Ajit Solanki/Associated Press
People stood near debris from the crash.
Ajit Solanki/Associated Press
Ajit Solanki/Associated Press
Locals watched smoke rise from the crash site.
MOHAN NAKUM/Associated Press
In an image taken from video, people in Ahmedabad watched the smoke rising after the crash.
Mohan Nakum/Associated Press
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Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Family's anguished wait for news after air crash
A family from Leicester say they are waiting for news about a loved one who was thought to have been on a plane that crashed in India. More than 240 people were killed on Thursday when a Boeing 787 bound for Gatwick crashed shortly after take off in Ahmedabad. Faizan Rafik, 25, from the Belgrave area of the city, was believed to have been on the flight after visiting India for a week to celebrate Eid with his wife. His brother Farhan Rafik, 22, said the family was still hoping to receive a call from him. Farhan said: "We are all hoping he will come back, we are still hoping that from somewhere he will pick up our call and say 'I am alive and I am safe', but we are still waiting for that call." The 22-year-old from Leicester said he and Faizan were "always together" and added people would "feel great" in his company. He added Faizan dedicated time to charity work and was "respectful" of everyone. There were 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian on the flight when it crashed. Vishwashkumar Ramesh, also from Leicester, was the sole survivor and escaped the wreckage through an opening in the fuselage. Live coverage of the crash aftermath Messages deliver, bodies missing: Clinging to hope after Air India crash What we know so far about Air India flight AI171? What could have caused Air India plane to crash in 30 seconds? Leicester Council of Faiths said it was "shocked" and "saddened" by the plane crash. A spokesperson said: "With reports of casualties from the local area and the sole survivor from Leicester, and with Leicester's diverse communities having deep connections to India, this tragedy has affected many here. "We stand together in grief and in mourning for those who have lost their lives." Follow BBC Leicester on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@ or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210. Hunt for black box continues as grieving Air India crash families wait for answers What we know so far after Air India flight to London crashes in Ahmedabad Who are the victims of the Air India plane crash? What could have caused Air India plane to crash in 30 seconds? Doctor and family among Air India crash victims
USA Today
24 minutes ago
- USA Today
The 'safest seat' on a plane doesn't really exist. Here's why.
The 'safest seat' on a plane doesn't really exist. Here's why. Show Caption Hide Caption Air India plane crash video: Boeing 787-8 crashes in residential area An Air India plane crashed with more than 240 passengers on board. Over 200 bodies have been recovered, according to city police chief G.S. Malik. When plane crashes happen, like the tragic event in India on Thursday, people often wonder if there's a safest seat onboard. On Air India flight 171, the safest seat appeared to be 11A, because its occupant, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, was the sole known survivor of the crash. But that doesn't mean 11A is the magic number on every flight. While there is no 'safest seat,' there is 'less chance of compression of the fuselage which means more survivable space as far as damage is concerned' by the plane's rear, according to Keith Cianfrani, an aviation safety consultant told USA TODAY. However, airplane crashes are dynamic events, and surviving one depends on a combination of luck, external factors and the airplane's engineering. Miracle in seat 11A: Sole apparent survivor of Air India crash walks away from wreckage If a plane's tail section sheers off, a seat closer to the front will typically be safer. In a head-on collision, a seat closer to the rear may offer passengers the best chance for survival. During a collision involving multiple aircraft on the ground or in the air, the best bet is to sit far away from the point of impact. In an unpredictable, explosive decompression, when an airplane could lose a section of the fuselage, passengers farthest away from the failure point are the most likely to survive. During uncontrolled descent into terrain or water, seats farther away from the impact point are usually the safest, but it depends on the specific crash dynamics. In a fire incident, seats closest to the emergency exits may be best because they provide the fastest escape route, but it also depends on the exact location of the fire's ignition onboard. That is to say, travelers can't plan for a "safe seat" without knowing how the plane will crash.
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Joy and grief for lone India crash survivor's family
The UK-based family of the lone survivor of the Air India crash were torn on Friday between joy at his miracle escape and grief at the loss of his brother. "We are happy Vishwash has been saved, but on the other hand we are just heartbroken about Ajay," his cousin told AFP outside the family home in central Leicester. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, is believed to be the only person to have survived the crash when Air India Flight 171 plummeted from the sky shortly after taking off from the northern Indian city of Ahmedabad. His brother, Ajay Kumar Ramesh, was on the same flight, but is believed to have perished in the disaster. There were 242 passengers and crew on the plane, including 53 British citizens. At least 24 people were killed on the ground, officials said, after the aeroplane landed on a canteen building where students were having lunch. Since Thursday's tragedy, the small Leicester street where Ramesh's parents and younger brother lived has been flooded with visitors. Ramesh lives not far away with his wife and son, his cousin Hiren Kantilal, 19, told AFP. Ajay also lived in the town, one of the oldest in England, and the two brothers ran a confectionary business together. "They are wonderful people, and heartful people. They are greatest men I have ever seen in my life, both of them," said Kantilal. The brothers were returning to the UK after spending a few weeks on holiday in India, and the family had been waiting to go and pick them up at Gatwick airport. - 'I am totally fine' - Shortly after the crash, they were shocked when Ramesh, who had reportedly been in seat 11A, called his father to say he was alive. Ajay was seated at the other end of the row. "Our plane has been crashed," Ramesh told his dad, according to his cousin. "He was bleeding all over him, in the face and everything, and he said: 'I am just waiting for my brother and I don't know how I get out of the plane'. "He said: 'do not worry about me, try to find about Ajay Kumar' and he said: 'I am totally fine'." Kantilal said his cousin had waited for about 10 to 15 minutes seeking his brother, and then was whisked away to hospital by the rescue services. Images which went viral on social media apparently showed Ramesh walking away from the wreckage of the 787-8 Boeing Dreamliner, and have been splashed across the front pages of British media along with a photo of him in his hospital bed. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a visit to Ramesh on Friday at the hospital where he is being treated for burns and other injuries, footage on his YouTube channel showed. "Everything happened in front of me, and even I couldn't believe how I managed to come out alive from that," Ramesh said from his hospital bed, speaking in Hindi to national broadcaster DD News. His parents had also been desperately trying to contact his brother Ajay on Thursday. "The call was going through, but no-one was answering the call," Kantilal said. At the family home, relatives were frantically scanning their phones to try to buy a flight to Ahmedabad later on Friday afternoon. Downing Street said that the foreign ministry had been in touch with Ramesh to offer him consular assistance. mhc/alm/jkb/bc
