Prayers for doctor and family from Derby killed in Air India crash
Friends and colleagues have gathered to remember a family who died in the Air India plane crash.More than 240 people were killed on Thursday when a Boeing 787 bound for Gatwick crashed shortly after take-off in Ahmedabad.On Saturday at Derby Hindu Temple, prayers were said for Dr Prateek Joshi, a radiologist at Royal Derby Hospital, who was also onboard the flight along with his wife and 3 children.Manog Ramtohal, who worked at the same trust, said: "I don't think we will ever get over it."
The plane was carrying 242 people when it crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad airport, in western India.There were 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian on the flight.
'Ripped a hole'
Dr Joshi moved from India to Derby in 2021 and worked at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust for four years, the trust said.Mr Ramtohal said: "It is like someone has been amputated from that department, it's something I don't think we will ever get over."Always generous, always willing to help, nothing was too little [for him to look after]."He worked with politeness, courtesy and good manners."Part of the tragedy is he was getting better and better and we will never know what he could have achieved, what he could have given to the community."Gisela Robinson, executive chief medical officer at Royal Derby Hospital, said: "Talking to the department yesterday it is clear how cherished he was by all of his colleagues and it has ripped a hole in the department."Kind, happy-go-lucky clinician who really knitted the department together."It felt right to come and pay our respects today."
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Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) WHEN Air India Flight AI171 crashed in Ahmedabad and blazed up into a huge fireball, many believed that no one would have survived. But after video emerged of 40-year-old Brit Vishwash Ramesh stumbling away from the crash site on his own two feet, puzzled experts rushed to theorise how he narrowly avoided death. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 13 The Brit staggered away from the wreckage relatively unscathed 13 Vishwash Ramesh in hospital, visited by Indian PM Narendra Modi 13 It then crashed in a fireball at a doctor's hostel Credit: Getty 13 Investigators are scrambling to figure out what went so wrong with the plane Many were also shocked to see the London local explaining his near-death experience casually to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and local media just one day later. 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But aerospace and aviation professor Graham Braithwaite speculated the lucky Brit may have actually been flung out of the wreckage. He said: "The aircraft was loaded with fuel and it crashed into a heavily populated area. 'I opened my eyes & slipped out'…Brit sole survivor of Air India crash details escape "I can only imagine that he was thrown from the wreckage, and that somehow as it crashed, what it hit managed to absorb some of the impact." He added: "Looking at the scene, I would imagine that the disruption to the aircraft would have been huge. "If anybody could have got out, then they probably could have just gone out in a gap in the fuselage - you'd struggle to infer from this, therefore, that is the seat you must always sit in." The expert also said that surviving a crash like this was more a matter of being lucky about where a passenger is sat. Meanwhile, former senior crash investigator, Tony Cable, told the Guardian his theory on how the jet having its nose up at the moment it crashed may have helped Vishwash escape. He explained: 'The aircraft was pretty nose up when it hit the buildings. "It has presumably broken open in an area of the fuselage adjacent to this guy and fortuitously he has popped out without major injury." 13 The seating plan of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner shows the seat 11A near the emergency exit - while his brother was sat in 11J Credit: The seating plan of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner shows the seat 11A near the emergency exit - while his brother was sat in 11J 13 Vishwash Kumar Ramesh - sitting in 11A - was the sole survivor of the jet crash 13 He also explained that the impact of the crash could have broken a part of the plane, or the emergency door itself, giving the Brit a chance to escape death. Another expert weighed in on the importance of Vishwash's seat selection of 11A. Engineering safety professor John McDermid said that his choice of seat may have given the lucky Brit more time to escape. Seat 11A is positioned on the left side of the aircraft's body, right next to an emergency door, and has extra leg room because it is the first row of economy seats behind business class. And this specific location on board the plane may have meant that Vishwash was given seconds more to get out of the burning jet. Other passengers sat in regular seats may have been crushed on impact due to their proximity to the seats in front of them, according to the expert. Professor McDermid also said: " My suspicion is that because of the nature of the impact, he was in a strong part of the airplane at the front edge of the wing. "There is not just the fuselage, but the extra structure of the wing to protect from the compression of the fuselage." He added, highlighting the importance of seat 11A: 'It's possible that the impact loosened the door and he could kick it out and get out. 'The external door was only just in front of him so he didn't have far to go.' Another analyst doubled down on the seat's crucial location within the jet. Fire evacuation expert professor Ed Galea said: "The fact that anyone has survived is miraculous." But he put Vishwash's fortune down the seats proximity to the emergency exit. 13 Vishwash's boarding pass shows that he sat in seat 11A 13 Government officials beneath the tail of the plane, which remains wedged in a building 13 No more survivors are expected to be found in the wreckage In his own research of plane crashes, he found that people sitting within five rows of a serviceable exit have a better chance of surviving than those sat more than five rows away from one. The expert added that when he travels, he always tries to reserve a seat within five rows of an emergency exit to boost his odds of survival. Another theory for how Vishwash survived was also made after shocking footage of the plane's final moments showed what may have been the emergency door flying away from the jet. Unbelievable footage showed the moment the Dreamliner went down - with a mysterious object seen spinning away seconds before the plane blew up into a fireball. The theories about how Vishwash survived also come as a veteran pilot revealed what he believes caused the devastating crash itself YouTuber and commercial airline pilot Captain Steve Chen gave his chilling theory after watching the horrifying video of the disaster. Some 279 people have been killed following the horror smash in Ahmedabad, India. Investigations are still ongoing into the cause of the crash - with at least one of the black boxes recovered from the wreck. 13 People stand near debris at the site of the crash Credit: Getty 13 The plane was seen wedged in a building Credit: Reuters 13 Both pilot Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and co-pilot Clive Kunder and believed to be among the dead. Mr Sabharwal, who had 8,200 hours of experience, while his colleague Mr Kunder had 1,100 hours. Vishwash could also provide key clues as to what happened to the plane. He said cabin lights began flickering before the jet sank through the air and crashed. Recalling the moments before tragedy, Vishwash, from Leicester, said: "When the flight took off, within five to 10 seconds it felt like it was stuck in the air. "Suddenly, the lights started flickering - green and white. "The aircraft wasn't gaining altitude and was just gliding before it suddenly slammed into a building and exploded." Vishwash's flickering lights revelation comes after a passenger, who took the plane the day before the crash, claimed electrical parts such as the back-of-seat screens weren't working. Aviation experts have speculated that the reports of dodgy electrics could be a sign of a power failure, possibly explaining the crash. Air India is keeping an open mind as to what went wrong and caused the deaths of 52 Brits. Theories being considered include issues with the engine thrust, flaps and landing gear - as well as a bird strike and a pilot error.
