Survivor of Air India crash jumped out of emergency exit, police say
NEW DELHI, June 12 (Reuters) - Ramesh Viswashkumar, the only known survivor out of the 242 people onboard an Air India plane that crashed in Ahmedabad on Thursday, had been sitting near an emergency exit of the London-bound flight and managed to jump out, police said.
Speaking from his hospital bed, the 40-year-old told Indian media that he was a British national and was travelling to Britain with his brother after visiting family in India.
"When I got up, there were bodies all around me. 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," Viswashkumar told the Hindustan Times.
Social media footage shown on Indian news channels showed a man in a bloodstained white t-shirt and dark pants limping on a street and being helped by a medic. The man had bruises on his face and a goatee beard, resembling photographs of Viswashkumar in hospital after the crash that were published by local media.
Reuters could not immediately verify the video, in which people gathered around the man and asked him where were the other passengers, to which he replied "they're all inside".
A photo of Viswashkumar's boarding pass shown online by the Hindustan Times showed that he was seated in seat 11A of the plane bound for Gatwick Airport.
He told the paper his brother Ajay had been seated in a different row on the plane and asked for help to find him.
"He was near the emergency exit and managed to escape by jumping out the emergency door," said Vidhi Chaudhary, a senior police officer in Ahmedabad, speaking about Viswashkumar.
A member of Viswashkumar's family based in Britain, who requested anonymity, told Reuters over the phone that he had survived and that the family was in touch with him, but declined to share further details.
Ajay Valgi, a cousin of Viswashkumar who lives in Leicester, central England, told the BBC that Viswashkumar spoke by phone to confirm he was all right. "He only said that he was fine, nothing else," Valgi said.
Valgi said the family had not heard anything about his brother. "We're not doing well. We're all upset," he said.
Viswashkumar is married with one child, a boy, he added.
The aircraft came down in a residential area, crashing onto a medical college hostel outside the airport during lunch hour, in the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. More than 290 people were killed in the crash. The dead included some on the ground.
Police said Viswashkumar was the sole passenger known so far to have survived but added that rescue operations were still ongoing.
"Chances are that there might be more survivors among the injured who are being treated in the hospital," Chaudhary said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
He flew home to bury his father. The Air India crash took his life
Inside a modest two-bedroom apartment in India's Ahmedabad, Ravina Daniyal Christian clutches the edge of her tear-soaked scarf. The home is crowded with relatives but the only voice that carries through the room is hers – spilling with loss. Just fifteen days ago, she buried her husband. On 12 June, her 30-year-old son Lawrence Daniyal Christian, who had come home from London to perform the last rites of his father, was killed in the catastrophic Air India crash that has claimed at least 270 lives. 'He came only for a few days,' she says. 'He was returning on 12 June. Just a short visit – only to honour his father.' That final act of love has become a mother's worst nightmare. 'My husband is gone. And now, so is my son,' Ravina says, wailing. ' I have no one left to support me.' Lawrence had been working in London and slowly building a future that included his mother. 'He always said, 'Mummy, once I've paid off the loans on our apartment, I'll bring you to London,'' she says. 'That year will never come.' Her last memory of him is a short video call from his seat on the doomed flight. 'He said, 'I'll reach London around 10 or 11pm India time. Then I'll call you. I'm switching off the phone now.'' Ravina had dropped him at the airport that morning and returned to an empty home. 'I didn't feel like eating. I just had a paratha (fried Indian flatbread).' Then the phone rang. 'It was his friend. He told me to check the news – a plane had crashed. ' Panic-stricken, she rushed to Ahmedabad's Civil Hospital, searching every ward until late into the night. 'But I couldn't find him… My daughter gave her blood for the DNA test. But no one has told us anything since.' Just across town, 66-year-old Sarlaben David Christian is also coming to terms with a double tragedy. Her son Rozar and daughter-in-law Rachnaben – both London residents who had returned to India for medical treatment – were among the passengers killed when the Boeing 787 Dreamliner plummeted into a student hostel soon after take-off. 'They had flown in for just a few days,' she says, her voice strained. Her husband had driven them to the airport that morning. After checking in, Rozar called. ''Everything's done. You don't need to wait outside,' he said. 'You can go home.'' The final conversation ended with four words: 'I am comfortably seated.' Hours later, the family would learn about the crash that killed all but one of the 242 passengers onboard. Sarlaben's nephew William was the first to realise something was wrong. 'He saw a news alert, turned to his wife, and asked if Rozar and Rachna had left today. When she confirmed, he called my husband and said, 'There's been a crash. It might be their flight.'' Family members split into two teams – one went to the airport, another to the hospital. 'We searched every ward, every stretcher, hoping they were among the injured,' she recalls. 'But they weren't.' DNA samples were requested later that night. The bodies of several victims of the plane crash are expected to be released to their families by Sunday evening, following the completion of the DNA sampling process, The Independent has learnt. According to hospital officials, victims who could not be identified visually had their DNA samples submitted on Thursday. Their remains are likely to be handed over once the 72-hour verification window concludes. In the meantime, the bodies of victims identified through visible body marks are expected to be released either by Saturday evening or early Sunday morning. However, not all victims have undergone DNA sampling. For those cases, officials say the identification process may take longer, as DNA analysis typically requires a minimum of 72 hours. 'We found out… no one was alive,' says Sarlaben, hands trembling. 'Their bodies were in no condition to be seen. How do I describe the pain of losing a son I raised in my arms?' Rozar had long planned to settle in the UK. 'He wanted to buy a house there and bring us over one day,' she says. 'All those dreams have gone with him.' Among the dead was also an entire family of five – Dr Komi Vyas, her husband Dr Prateek Joshi, and their three young children. Dr Vyas, a medical professional from Udaipur, had recently resigned from her position at a local hospital to begin a new life in London with her husband, Dr Prateek Joshi. That fresh start was tragically cut short when the Air India flight they were on crashed shortly after take-off in Ahmedabad. A selfie taken on board the ill-fated Boeing 787 by Dr Joshi captures what would be their final family moment. In it, he and Dr Vyas are seen smiling in their seats, while their children – five-year-old twin boys, Nakul and Pradyut, and eight-year-old daughter, Miraya – sit across the aisle. The couple, both doctors, were well known in Udaipur's medical circles. They previously worked at Pacific Hospital before Dr Joshi moved to the UK several years ago. He had returned to their hometown of Banswara in Rajasthan earlier this week to accompany his wife and children back to London, where the family was planning to settle permanently. A close friend and college friend of Dr Vyas, who requests anonymity, shares the devastating news with The Independent. 'Komi was part of our 2004 MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery) batch – always smiling, full of charm. Even after college, we stayed in touch. She used to visit my clinic in Ahmedabad when she worked as an assistant professor in Rajasthan. The last time I spoke to her was in December – she had reached out about a consultation for her sister.' He recalls how he found out about the tragedy. 'I was in the operation theatre when the crash happened. Around 2pm, I got a call from my wife, who was also Komi's classmate. She heard from a contact at Civil Hospital that Komi might have been on board the crashed flight. I rushed out of the OT and tried calling Komi, but there was no answer. Soon after, someone on our college WhatsApp group confirmed the devastating news – it was her, her three children, and her husband.' The family had travelled to India for a vacation and were returning to London to begin a new chapter. 'Komi and Prateek had planned to finally settle there now that their twins were turning five in August and their daughter was already of school-going age,' the friend explained. 'With the children a bit older, it would've been easier for Komi to manage in a new country. This was supposed to be their big move.' He also confirms that Dr Vyas's father had arrived in Ahmedabad and had submitted DNA samples for identification on Thursday. 'He's been at Civil Hospital since the day before yesterday, trying to complete the formalities. We've been told the children's bodies were found early this morning, and the process is underway.' As of Saturday evening, the remains of Dr Vyas and her family had not yet been released, pending DNA verification and identification. Some victims' bodies are expected to be released as DNA identification process nears completion. Suresh Patni, 47, stands alone outside the hospital mortuary, waiting for the handover of his 12-year-old son's remains. Akash Patni was charred beyond recognition when a passenger aircraft crashed into the college campus where his family ran a small tea stall. The boy had accompanied his mother, Sitabehen Patni, to their stall as he often did. Tired, he lay down to rest beneath a tree nearby. Moments later, the plane came crashing down, engulfing the area in flames. Akash, fast asleep, had no chance to escape. 'He was burnt alive while sleeping,' Patni says. 'I have not even seen his body yet. It is not in a condition to be seen. It is so burnt that it cannot be identified.' Patni says he has submitted identification documents to the hospital, including a PAN card in lieu of Aadhaar, to claim his son's body. 'The officials have told me they will hand it over by tonight or tomorrow morning.' His wife, Sitabehen, remains in the intensive care unit with serious burn injuries. 'She doesn't know he's gone,' he says. 'She's had more than 40 stitches to her face. The bleeding had to be stopped. I can't even begin to tell her what's happened.' Hospital authorities tells The Independent that most of the bodies recovered from the crash site have been shifted from the post-mortem room to cold storage, awaiting DNA confirmation and family handover. 'I am all by myself here. I don't know how I can bear to see him like that. How do I ask them to show me my son's body?' Patni says
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
'I'm on the plane safely': British man's heartbreaking final words to family moments before Air India crash - as tributes are paid to victims of disaster
Ramesh Patel was one of the 53 British nationals on the doomed Gatwick-bound Air India flight that crashed just moments after take-off. His grieving family have revealed the heartbreaking final words they received from him moments before he was killed in the Ahmedabad air disaster. Speaking as they reached Ahmedabad on Saturday, Ramesh's family said he used to travel to India every year to feel connected to his roots and particularly visited to relish his favourite citrus fruit. He rang his daughter-in-law Kajal Patel as he arrived at the airport on Thursday as well as when he had got to his seat on the plane. Kajal said he first rang to let her know that the 'weight (of the luggage) is okay' as she replied by saying 'that's fine dad don't worry about it'. She then messaged to 'make sure everything is okay' and to wish him a 'safe journey'. He told her he wouldn't ring her again and she said: 'That's fine, you just relax, don't worry about, I will update everyone at home that you are safe in the plane'. However, he did ring one final time to let his family know 'I am on the plane safely' and 'that it's on time'. Kajal said she responded by saying 'safe journey and we will see you in the evening'. She went on to add that she had prepared his favourite meal, a Gujarati dish containing lentils and eggplant, for his return and he was also 'looking forward to eating fish and chips as well'. However, he never returned home as his flight plundered into buildings in the densely populated Meghani area of the city just minutes after leaving the runway around 1.40pm local time (8.10am BST), and claiming the lives of 279 people so far. Terrifying CCTV footage shows the Air India AI-171 plane appear to lose control before it starts rapidly descending with a high nose angle and landing gear deployed. Ramesh's daughter Priti Pandya admitted that her father had attempted to videocall her two days before the plane disaster and she devastatingly never got around to calling him back. 'He just wanted to come to eat fruit, "Jambura" (Pomelo) fruit and he didn't come back home,' she said. 'This is the first trip I have spoken to him three or four times within a week but when he video called me on Tuesday, I was working and I thought "I will call him back, I will call him back". 'But I never was able to because I got busy with work.' The plane momentarily disappeared from view behind trees and buildings before a massive fireball erupted on the horizon in this horrifying clip Harrowing stories of those have perished in the disaster have started to emerge as communities across the UK paused yesterday to remember Britons killed in the air disaster King Charles and the Royal Family marked the tragedy by wearing black arm bands and leading a minute's silence at the Trooping the Colour ceremony in London. There was also a minute's silence at a village fete in memory of a shopkeeper and 'pillar of the community' who died in the crash. Ketan Shah, 43, one of 53 Britons on the doomed flight, ran the community store in Shipton Bellinger, Hampshire. He is survived by his wife Megha, teenage son and daughter. Staff at the shop said: 'It is a very difficult time for us as we need to process this tragedy. Ketan loved this village and [its] people.' Recently married Lawrence Daniel Christian, 26, was in India after the death of his father. He posed for a heartbreaking final picture with his mother, Raveena, at Ahmedabad airport on Thursday, moments before boarding the Boeing Dreamliner jet to London, where he lived with his wife. Wreckage of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner lies at the site where the Air India plane crashed in Ahmedabad, India, June 12, 2025 An unnamed aunt told local media: 'We tried calling him repeatedly after seeing the news. 'We rushed to the plane crash site and saw the plane completely destroyed. We lost Lawrence Christian in this crash, just days after we lost his father.' It is believed Mr Christian first travelled to the UK on a student visa and had lived in London for 18 months, while also working part-time. A family friend said his widow, who had stayed in London, was shattered, adding: 'She keeps saying this must be a mistake.' People at a vigil in north-west London became visibly emotional after learning two young girls had been orphaned by the disaster. Harrow mayor Anjana Patel said the girls, aged four and eight, lost their father Arjun Patoliya in the crash – just weeks after their mother Bharti died from cancer. He was in the western state of Gujarat to scatter his wife's ashes and was returning home to his daughters when the Gatwick-bound plane went down. Ms Patel said: 'He has left two little girls behind and the girls are now orphans. 'I really hope that those girls will be looked after by all of us.' Another victim, Abdhi Patel, 40, had travelled to India two weeks ago to care for her elderly mother when she fell ill. She was on the flight with her sister Meghaben, from Gujarat. Ms Patel leaves behind her husband Pankajbhai and their eight-year-old son Meer, who live in Northampton where she worked as the manager of Zone Beauty Studio for nine years. Her colleague Zara Atif told the Northamptonshire Telegraph: 'Her son was so utterly dependent on her. This will devastate him.' Kamlesh Chaudary, 27, who lived in London, was described by a friend as the 'sole bread winner' for his family in Ahmedabad. He was killed alongside his wife Dhapuben, who he was bringing back to settle in the UK with him. The death toll yesterday stood at 279, including 241 passengers and crew on board the plane. Doctors are said to be working round the clock to run DNA checks and reunite victims with their families quickly, in accordance with Indian tradition. The wait for the process to be completed is piling further anguish on grieving families. Rafiq Abdul Hafiz Memon, who lost four relatives, said he was not getting any answers from the authorities. 'We have lost our children... we are not understanding anything,' he told reporters. There was just one survivor of the Ahmedabad air disaster - who walked off the plane with a few cuts and bruises in what is being called the miracle of seat 11A. Tragically his brother, who was in the same row, died.
BBC News
5 hours ago
- BBC News
Wait for bodies deepens pain of families after Air India crash
For Mistry Jignesh, 72 hours feel like an Thursday evening, Mr Jignesh and his family have been doing the rounds of the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad, trying to find details of his 22-year-old niece - one of the 242 passengers that died in an Air India plane crash earlier that had been telling him they would return his niece's body in the 72 hours normally required to complete DNA matching - which end on on Saturday, he was told that it might take longer as officials are still searching for bodies from the site of the crash, he claimed."When people are still missing, how can they possibly complete the DNA process by tomorrow? What if my niece's remains have not even been found? The wait is killing us," he have refused to comment on Mr Jignesh's claim, but a fire department officer and a police official told the BBC on the condition of anonymity that a search for remains of the passengers is still under Patel, additional superintendent of the Civil Hospital, said on Saturday that 11 victims had been identified so far based on their DNA samples, adding that their families had been informed. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which was on its way to London's Gatwick Airport, erupted in a fireball merely seconds after it took off from Ahmedabad's main airport, in what has been India's worst aviation one of the 242 passengers and crew on board survived. At least eight others were killed as the plane struck the hostel of a medical college when it came down on a densely populated residential area near the have moved swiftly Indian government has ordered a high-level investigation into the incident and has ordered all Boeing 787s operated by local carriers to be inspected. While the reason of the crash remains unknown, the country's aviation authority has said it is looking into all possible causes for the accident, also bringing in foreign aviation experts to assist with the Verify on what could have caused the crashEverything we know so far about flight AI171Analysis: What does this mean for Boeing?Back at the hospital, doctors are racing to complete the DNA sampling of the victims so that they can start returning bodies to their for families like Mr Jignesh's, time passes in dragging have talked about how the process of identifying bodies has been extremely challenging - and is being carried out in small batches - as most of the remains have been charred beyond recognition."There is no scope for mistakes here - we have to ensure that every family receives the right body," said HP Sanghvi, the director of Directorate of Forensic Sciences in Gandhinagar city. "But DNA identification is a time-consuming process. Besides, given the scale of the disaster, there is also a possibility that the DNA of several passengers was damaged due to the extremely high temperature of the blast."Jaishankar Pillai, a forensic dentist at the hospital, told reporters that his team has been trying to collect dental records from charred bodies, as that might be the only source of DNA left. The wait has been beyond agonising for the families, many of whom refused to speak to the media, saying they just want to go back home with "whatever is left of their loved ones"."We are in no condition to say anything. Words fail us right now," a woman, who was waiting with three members of her family outside the autopsy room, told the BBC impatiently, as she quickly slipped into her details continue to emerge, who are the victims?British man is only passenger to survive India plane crashMeanwhile, officials at the BJ Medical College have started to vacate several wards of the hostel, near which the plane struck. So far, four wards - including the hostel canteen, the site of the crash - have been completely emptied students living in other nearby wings of the hostel have also begun to leave."In one of the wards, there are just three people left - everyone else has gone back to their homes for now. They will leave soon too, but until then, they are sitting there, all alone, haunted by the memory of what has happened," their friend, who is also a student at the college and wanted to stay anonymous, between the college and hospital - in the vast expanse of this city of more than seven million people - there are many others who also are reeling from the last Kartik Kalawadia heard of his brother Mahesh was on Thursday, some 30 minutes before the was a phone call Mahesh made to his wife: "I am coming home," he said to never heard from him again.A music producer in the Gujarati film industry, Mahesh had been on his way back home from work that day and was crossing the area when the plane hurtled down and crashed into the Kalawadia told the BBC that his brother's last location before his phone became unreachable was just a few hundred metres away from BJ Medical family has since filed a police complaint and has made countless visits to the Civil Hospital. They have found nothing so far."The hospital told us they have no record of my brother. We also tried tracing his scooter, but nothing came of that either," Mr Kalawadia said."It's like he vanished into thin air." At a press conference on Saturday, Civil Aviation Secretary SK Sinha admitted that the last two days had been "very hard", but assured the investigation was proceeding smoothly and in the right Mr Kalawadia wondered if any of these inquires - into the plane crash, the victims and beyond - would help him find his brother, dead or alive."We don't know the answer, but we can hope it's a positive one, I guess," he at the Civil Hospital, the wait continues to haunt the BBC last met Imtiyaz Ali Sayed over Thursday night, he was still in denial that his family - his brother Javed along with his wife and two children - could have died in the on Saturday, he seemed closer to "accepting the truth"."With just a few hours left, we are now trying to decide what will it be: will we bury him here, or in the UK, where his wife's family lives," he said."To me, it makes no difference you know?" he continued, "because he's gone, from ashes to dust and back to God."
