Air India plane crash survivor meets prime minister Narendra Modi in hospital
The British survivor of the Air India plane crash has been visited by Indian prime minister Narendra Modi.
Video footage shows Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, talking to Mr Modi while lying on his hospital bed.
The prime minister also visited the crash site.
Air India confirmed Mr Ramesh was the sole survivor of the 242 people on board the London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner when it crashed into a medical college shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad airport.
It is one of the deadliest plane crashes in terms of the number of British nationals killed, and the first involving a 787.
There are fears the number of people killed on the ground could rise.
Investigations are continuing into the cause of the crash.
Aviation experts have speculated about a number of possible causes for the crash, from both engines failing – possibly due to a bird strike, as happened in the so-called Miracle on the Hudson in 2009 – to the flaps on the aircraft's wings not being set to the correct position for take-off.
Images taken after the incident showed part of the plane embedded in the BJ Medical College building.
At least five medical students were killed and about 50 injured.
Mr Ramesh was in seat 11A, next to one of the aircraft's emergency exits.
According to Indian newspaper the Hindustan Times, Mr Ramesh said after the crash: 'Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly.'
British couple Fiongal and Jamie Greenlaw-Meek, 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, and former editor of the show Martin Frizell praised his 'vibrancy' and 'enthusiasm'.
The Gloucester Muslim Community group offered 'sincere and deepest condolences' after Akeel Nanabawa, his wife Hannaa and their daughter Sara were reported to be among the victims.
Raj Mishra, the mayor of Wellingborough in Northamptonshire, called for people to come together as he announced the deaths of three people from his community.
'Among those lost were Raxa Modha, infant Rudra Modha, and Ms K Mistri, all from our Wellingborough community,' he said.
Mr Modi said the scenes of 'devastation' were 'saddening'.
He wrote in a post on X: 'Met officials and teams working tirelessly in the aftermath.
'Our thoughts remain with those who lost their loved ones in this unimaginable tragedy.'
Visited the crash site in Ahmedabad today. The scene of devastation is saddening. Met officials and teams working tirelessly in the aftermath. Our thoughts remain with those who lost their loved ones in this unimaginable tragedy. pic.twitter.com/R7PPGGo6Lj
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 13, 2025
Air India chief executive Campbell Wilson visited the area, according to the BBC, but did not take questions from media.
Tata Group, the parent company of Air India, said it would provide 10 million rupees (around £86,000) to the families of each of those killed in the crash.
The company said it would also cover the medical costs of the injured and provide support in the 'building up' of the medical college.
Air India has set up friends and relatives assistance centres at Gatwick, Mumbai, Delhi and Ahmedabad airports to provide support in the wake of AI171's crash.
'These centres are facilitating the travel of family members to Ahmedabad,' the airline said in a post on X.
UK officials are being deployed to India to support the investigation, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said.
US transportation secretary Sean Duffy confirmed US teams from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board were also heading to India with support from Boeing and GE Aerospace.
He told reporters it was 'way too premature' to ground Boeing 787s in the aftermath of the crash.
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North Wales Chronicle
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Daily Mail
29 minutes ago
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Aussie pilot's theory on how sole surviving Air India passenger escaped the crash - and his advice for travellers during the unthinkable
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Telegraph
2 hours ago
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‘My 95-year-old dad lives in my garden – and he loves it'
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'My sister flew in from New York to spend the final two weeks in Derbyshire lugging stuff to charity shops while I was at home encouraging kitchen fitters and decorators to complete,' Deans explains. 'The lawn was only re-laid the day before dad arrived.' Access to the site was tricky as the house is in the middle of a row, so all materials and waste had to go in via a shared alleyway around the side and back of the terrace. 'Pouring the concrete base for the cabin was a mission because they couldn't get the concrete lorry down the alleyway so they parked it on the road and pumped it round through a hose,' Deans says. 'Everyone around was hanging out of their windows and watching.' The neighbours were very good about the disruption, mess and having to juggle parked cars around in the alleyway. 'We consulted them all very early on, showed them the plans and probably would not have proceeded if they objected,' Deans says. 'I kept them fully informed throughout, sending them texts, plus wine and biscuits, whenever big plant equipment and skips were due. By the time Dad moved in, they had a welcome party for him.' 'I'm glad we made the leap' Today, with Higham happily installed, the stress and disruption have been forgotten. His cabin – Deans scolds him playfully for calling it a 'Portakabin' – is cosy and chic, runs on electricity with timber cladding at the front and steel insulated panels on the rear and sides. There's a bedroom, bathroom and a main living area, which has a fitted kitchen with a dining area, plus a lounge with three armchairs and a television. 'It's quite luxurious,' he says. 'The friends and people who have been to see me have been amazed. It's ample for a single person, with great big sliding doors and, because it's well-insulated, is always lovely and warm.' All the furniture came from Higham's house so it would feel as much like home as possible. 'He was adamant he had to bring his favourite 40-year-old reclining armchair. It's huge and we weren't sure, looking at the floor plans, whether it would even fit, but it worked out fine and he uses it all the time,' says Deans. She will often pop into the annexe to find 'one of the boys' watching a sports match on television with her father, who was a keen cricketer and footballer in his younger days. Higham has embraced the move and made many friends at the Green Bird café in Beckenham, where he goes for lunch most weeks and where, in February, they celebrated his 95 th birthday with a party. 'There must have been 50 people there. It cost me a fortune in cake,' Deans jokes. And, for the family, the arrangement is ideal. 'It required a big commitment from everyone, yet I'm so glad we made the leap,' Deans says. 'My husband and the kids all enjoy doing stuff with dad. Care homes are so expensive and, anyway, going into one wouldn't have been right for him.' She adds that Higham's cabin has even inspired several friends with elderly parents. 'They're looking into creating similar set-ups in their homes – putting their golden oldies at the bottom of the garden.'
