‘British national' survives Air India disaster that killed hundreds
An Air India plane en route to London crashed shortly after takeoff in Ahmedabad, India, killing over 200 people.
A survivor, identified in reports as Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British national living in London, was reportedly found at the crash site with minor injuries.
According to the Hindustan Times, Mr Ramesh recounted a loud noise shortly after takeoff, followed by the crash, and described escaping the wreckage amidst bodies and debris.
More than 204 bodies have been recovered from the crash site, with the total fatality count still unclear; 242 people were on board, including 169 Indians and 53 Britons.
The plane, a Boeing 787, crashed into the Meghani Nagar residential area after issuing a mayday call, hitting a hostel building for doctors; both Indian and British prime ministers expressed their condolences.
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Sole survivor: Death was all around me ... I walked out of the rubble
The British man who survived the Ahmedabad plane crash escaped from the wreckage by climbing out of the broken emergency exit door next to him. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, miraculously walked away from the crash of Air India flight 171. More than 240 people died in what was the deadliest plane accident in a decade. Narendra Modi, India's prime minister, visited Mr Ramesh in the aftermath of the crash. The businessman, who had been flying back to the UK after tending to his business in India, told the Indian state broadcaster DD News from his hospital bed: 'I don't believe how I survived. For some time I thought I was also going to die. 'But when I opened my eyes I realised I was alive, and I tried to unbuckle myself from the seat and escape from where I could. 'I saw people dying in front of my eyes – the air hostesses, and two people I saw near me ... I walked out of the rubble.' Mr Ramesh continued: 'The side of the plane I was in landed on the ground, and I could see that there was space outside the aircraft. So when my door broke I tried to escape through it, and I did. 'The opposite side of the aircraft was blocked by a building wall [of a doctors' hostel where the plane crashed], so nobody could have come out of there.' Mr Ramesh was sitting in seat 11A, next to the emergency doors over the front of the wings. This is the structurally most robust part of a plane and gives passengers the best chance of escaping a crash if they survive the initial impact. He said the plane appeared to almost come to a standstill in mid-air for a few seconds shortly after take-off, and the green and white cabin lights were turned on. He added that he could feel the engine thrust increasing, but then the plane 'crashed with speed into the hostel'. Addressing what had happened before the incident, Mr Ramesh added: '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.' 'At first, I thought I was dead. Later I realised I was still alive and saw an opening in the fuselage. I managed to unbuckle myself, used my leg to push through that opening, and crawled out.' The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crash was one of the deadliest plane crashes in terms of the number of British nationals killed, and the first involving a 787-8. Fiongal and Jamie Greenlaw-Meek, a British couple who run a spiritual wellness centre, were said to be among the dead. Mr Greenlaw-Meek appeared on ITV's This Morning earlier this year, with Martin Frizell, the show's former editor, praising his 'vibrancy' and 'enthusiasm'.
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Wounded Vishwash Kumar Ramesh was able to walk free from the wreckage of flight AI171 in Ahmedabad after his section of the aircraft survived relatively unscathed The sole survivor of the Air India tragedy had planned to celebrate his arrival in the UK with a family barbecue. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, from London, miraculously escaped the horror crash in Ahmedabad, western India, on Thursday with his life intact. The 40-year-old has told how he walked from the plane after the middle section of the aircraft - where he was seated in seat 11A - was spared from the worst of the impact after the plane crashed down in the city shortly after takeoff, killing 241 passengers and crew and leaving his brother, Ajay Kumar Ramesh, missing. Missing Ajay was meant to return to the UK alongside Vishwash, with his cousin saying Brit-bound family members were looking forward to welcoming them. Hiren Kantilal, 19, told the Mirror they had a "party" planned in Leicester to welcome them, with "many" family members set to join a barbecue. But, while they are happy Vishwash has survived, the family has decided not to celebrate, with no news on Ajay more that 24 hours after the crash. He said: 'We had planned a party here in Leicester to welcome them, we were going to have a barbecue and many family would be here. Now when he arrives back in the UK there will be no celebration. "We're happy that Vishwash survived but unhappy that his brother is still missing. It's been 24 hours with no news. We are all heartbroken." With the celebration now cancelled, Vishwash's family continue to gather outside an address in Leicester, all scrambling to book flights to be by his bedside. Hiren added: 'We're trying to book 14 flights to India. We had flights booked with Air India but had a call at 6am this morning to say it had been cancelled.' Air India has cancelled more than a dozen planned flights this morning while continuing to pick up the pieces from Thursday's incident, with Israel's surprise raid on Iran forcing officials to rapidly change plans. The airline said in a statement earlier today that it regretted "the inconvenience", but that its hand was forced by the closure of Iranian airspace. An air India spokesperson said: "We regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers due to this unforeseen disruption and are making every effort to minimize it, including providing accommodation for passengers. "Refunds on cancellation or complimentary rescheduling is also being offered to guests who opt for it. Alternative arrangements are being made to fly passengers to their destinations."
