Who is Vishwaskumar Ramesh, the only Air India Plane Crash survivor?
"Bodies All Around Me," Says Sole Survivor
Confirmation from Authorities
Live Events
Emotional Aftermath in the UK
Response from Gatwick and Air India
FAQs
What happened to Air India Flight 171?
How many people were on board?
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In a tragedy that has claimed over 200 lives, one man has emerged as the lone survivor of the Air India Flight 171 crash. Vishwaskumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British national, is believed to be the only person who made it out alive after the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner went down shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad, en route to London Gatwick.According to preliminary reports, the aircraft was carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members, including 53 British nationals, 169 Indians, seven Portuguese, one Canadian, and 11 children. Ramesh, seated in 11A, survived the disaster, reportedly with injuries to his chest, eyes, and feet.In a chilling account, Ramesh recalled the moments after the crash. 'I was scared. I stood up and ran. There were bodies all around me,' he said, as quoted in a report by Hindustan Times. "There were pieces of the plane scattered everywhere." He added that an unidentified person helped him into an ambulance that rushed him to the hospital.The Air India crash survivor had been visiting family in India and was returning to the UK with his elder brother, Ajay Kumar Ramesh, 45. However, Ajay has not been located since the incident. 'He was travelling with me, and I can't find him anymore,' Vishwaskumar reportedly told rescue personnel, as quoted in a report by Mirror Now.Ahmedabad Police Commissioner G.S. Malik confirmed the identity of the survivor. Speaking to ANI, he stated, 'Police recovered one survivor in seat 11A.'According to Malik, search and rescue operations are ongoing, but at least 204 bodies have been recovered from the crash site near Ahmedabad Airport. Authorities have not ruled out the possibility that additional victims on the ground may be among the deceased.The aircraft reportedly lost altitude minutes after takeoff around 9:40 a.m. local time. Investigations are currently underway to determine the cause of the crash. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and local aviation authorities have launched parallel inquiries into the incident, as per a report by Mirror Now.In the UK, members of Vishwaskumar's family have expressed shock and disbelief. Speaking from Leicester, his younger brother Nayan Kumar Ramesh, 27, said, 'We were just shocked. I last spoke to him yesterday morning. He said, 'I have no idea how I exited the plane.''Another family member, Jay, told the Press Association that Ramesh called his father from the hospital after the crash. 'He was covered in blood. He asked, 'Where's Ajay?'' Jay added, 'He's doing well physically, but mentally it's a big shock. We don't have words', as quoted in a report by Mirror Now.Air India has established a dedicated helpline for relatives of passengers. London Gatwick Airport has set up a special reception centre to provide support and information to families. 'We are working closely with Air India and British consular services,' a Gatwick spokesperson said.As questions mount around the cause of the crash, Ramesh's miraculous survival has become a beacon of hope amidst widespread grief. His story stands out as a rare moment of life in an otherwise catastrophic aviation disaster.Air India Flight 171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad en route to London Gatwick, resulting in over 200 fatalities.The aircraft was carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members at the time of the crash.
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Hindustan Times
25 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Bhagavad Gita found in near-mint condition from Air India plane crash debris
Social media is abuzz with a 'miracle' that came to light in the aftermath of the deadly Air India crash in Ahmedabad that killed at least 260 people – an almost-intact hard copy of the religious text, the Bhagavad Gita. The holy book remained mostly undamaged despite the intense heat and burning fuel. Follow Ahmedabad plane crash live updates Air India's Gatwick-bound Boeing 787-7 Dreamliner (AI171), carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members, crashed into BJ Medical College's doctors' hostel in the Meghani Nagar area in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Of the 242 onboard the aircraft, which went up in flames within minutes of take-off, only one survivor remained. Among the victims of the tragic air crash was former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani. Since the crash took place in a residential area, several parts of Boeing's debris were found near the hostel and other infrastructures there. A copy of the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Hindu text, also survived the fatal tragedy. Several videos of the book being found in the debris went viral on social media, with clips shared by some journalists confirming the same. A man was seen flipping the pages of the Holy scripture, showing it to the people at the crash site, who were also filming the Bhagavad Gita. According to the visuals, while some minor damage was visible on the holy book's cover, the written text and images on the pages inside seemed to be quite intact. Radharamn Das, vice president and spokesperson of Iskcon Kolkata, shared the video on X and said, "Amid the fiery #planecrash, a copy of the Bhagavad Gita was found untouched. One soul miraculously survived with minor bruises. Another girl, who missed the flight by just 10 minutes, was arguing with staff to allow her to board the ill-fated flight." Another user on the microblogging platform wrote, "Miracle amidst tragedy: Bhagavad Gita remains undamaged and intact after the plane crash." Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, seated on seat 11A of the Dreamliner, is the only survivor of the Air India crash. Ramesh is a 40-year-old British national who was visiting family in India. 'Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly,' Vishwash told HT. He said when he got up, there were bodies all around him. "I was scared. I stood up and ran. There were pieces of the plane all around me. Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital," he added. Vishwas, who suffered injuries to his chest, eyes, and feet, is currently receiving treatment at Ahmedabad's Civil Hospital, Asarwa. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday visited the plane crash site in Ahmedabad, met the lone survivor, Vishwash and the injured victims at the hospital there. Following his visit, the prime minister expressed deep grief and wrote on X, 'We are all devastated by the air tragedy in Ahmedabad. The loss of so many lives in such a sudden and heartbreaking manner is beyond words. Condolences to all the bereaved families. We understand their pain and also know that the void left behind will be felt for years to come. Om Shanti.'
New Indian Express
26 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Day after Ahmedabad tragedy, first responder recalls India's last major air crash in 2010
"The fumes from a burning aircraft are extremely toxic and suffocating. There are trained fire personnel to douse the flames. They use foam to kill the fire. I had reached the spot and we immediately called for fire personnel and ambulances. Since Mangaluru has a good number of hospitals and medical facilities, the eight survivors were rushed and given timely treatment. Their escape was providential," he said. 'Go-around called for, but it was too late' "Mangaluru Airport is a tabletop airport facing a gorge. Getting the landing right there is critical. The Air India aircraft coming from Dubai had landed ahead of the landing point. The first officer called for 'go-around' but it was too late. The right wing of the jet crashed against the Night Landing System (NLS), crashed into the sand bags and fell into the gorge. The hitting of the NLS left a gaping hole near the right wing and the eight passengers, who were sitting near it, were thrown out of the aircraft. They fell on the runway and their lives were saved," said Hosur. 'Go-around' in aviation terminology is a procedure where an aircraft, on final approach to land, aborts the landing and climbs away from the runway to make another approach or divert. It is initiated by the pilot or requested for by air traffic control for various reasons. "In the event of an air crash though there is a safety infrastructure in place at the airports, additional reinforcements have to be immediately mobilised without wasting any time. A centralised command and control system has to be put in place to oversee rescue and relief operations," he added. The first steps include dousing the fire, securing the site, controlling the crowd, immediate mobilisation of resources and disaster management force. Hospitals have to be alerted and medics and paramedic staff, police and others have to be mobilised. The role of young volunteers in rescue and relief operations is equally important. "Searching for survivors in the debris is the first step. The National and State Disaster Response Forces are trained in identifying survivors. Taking them out and rushing them to the nearest hospital in the golden hour is extremely critical. Identification of the deceased and handing over of bodies to the families after DNA tests is a difficult task but it is a duty we owe to the dead and their families," he added.
NDTV
31 minutes ago
- NDTV
Tears, Photos, DNA Samples: Grieving Families Wait In Despair At BJ Medical College
The BJ Medical College, Ahmedabad, usually open for all throughout the year, has been a site of grief chaos since yesterday, when London-bound Air India plane AI-171 crashed over its hostel premises at around 1.30 pm, minutes after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport. The crash killed all but one of the 242 passengers on board, as well as 10 students of the BJ Medical College. Since the incident, the insitute has been swarmed by relatives and friends of the victims, waiting to identify or collect their bodies. In the adjacent building, Kasturi Bhavan, DNA samples are being collected from the distraught relatives of unidentified victims. Unable to hold back their tears, they've been waiting in corridors for news on their loved ones. It takes 72 hours for a sample to be identified. Sonal Joshi, a local from Ahmedabad, is here with her brother, whose wife Kamini was killed in the crash. In the DNA collection room, as her brother broke down, Sonal was trying desperately to provide some identification details to the medical staff. Holding up a photograph of a radiant Kamini in a green silk sari, she points to her sister-in-law's rudraksh locket, hoping it could help the medical staff identify her body. Sonal Joshi The family of sisters Heer and Dheer Bakshi, both in their twenties, is equally inconsolable. Their maternal uncle, Kartik Oza, speaking fondly of his nieces, tells this journalist that one was a fashion designer and the other a techie. Their mother, who is also a British citizen, now regrets postponing her travel. The family had come to Ahmedabad to celebrate the birthday of the victims' maternal grandmother. The family of Heer And Dheer Bakshi While Pawan Kumar has come from Delhi to support his friend Yogesh, who lost a relative in the crash, Rizwan has lost three family members: his brother Pervez, sister-in-law Zubeira, and niece Yasmin Vohra. Rizwan is still waiting for DNA identification. There were also 53 British citizens on the ill-fated flight; relatives of many of them are yet to reach the place. Several housekeeping and cleaning staff of the medical college, who had been serving food to the students at the time of the crash, are also reported to have died, though official confirmation is awaited. One such staffer, who had stepped out to buy beedi, was killed, while his wife sustained 50% burns. Jyotsnaben from Meghani Nagar also waited outside the postmortem building to collect the body of her nephew, who used to sell tea with his mother near the college hostel building. The mother has sustained serious burns. Doctors told this journalist that some of the bodies have been charred so badly that it is difficult to identify anything. The ill-fated plane crashed over the Atulyam hostel block, where 80 medical undergraduate as well as superspecialty students were staying. The fatalities are expected to go up as there are many yet to be located. Volunteers at the BJ Medical College The local administration has made arrangements for food and accommodation for the grieving relatives. Volunteers at the site have also been handing out food and water bottles.
