A look at previous plane crashes in India
NEW DELHI (AP) — India has had several major plane crashes in recent decades. An Air India flight with more than 240 people on board crashed in the city of Ahmedabad on Thursday.
Here are some previous aircraft accidents in India:
Aug. 7, 2020
An Air India Express flight to bring back Indians stranded abroad by the COVID-19 pandemic skidded off a runway in heavy rain and cracked in two in southern India. Eighteen people including the two pilots were killed and more than 120 were injured. The Boeing 737-800 was flying from Dubai to Kozhikode in Kerala state.
May 22, 2010
An Air India flight arriving from Dubai overshot the runway in the city of Mangalore and plunged over a cliff, killing 158 people out of the 166 on board. The wreckage of the Boeing 737-800 was strewn across a hillside.
July 17, 2000
An Alliance Air Boeing 737-200 crashed into a residential area about 1 mile (1.5 kilometers) from its destination and burst into flames in Patna, killing more than 50 people on board and five on the ground.
Nov. 12, 1996
A Saudi Arabian airlines Boeing 747 taking off from the airport in Delhi collided in midair with an arriving Kazakhstan Airline flight, killing all 349 people on both planes. It was one of the deadliest crashes in aviation history.
April 26, 1993
An Indian Airlines 737-200 hit a truck beyond the runway while taking off and crashed soon after in the city of Aurangabad, killing 55 of the 118 people on board.
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Global News
35 minutes ago
- Global News
Air India crash investigation underway as search for evidence continues
Investigators searched the site of one of India's worst aviation disasters and Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with the lone surviving passenger Friday, a day after an Air India flight fell from the sky and killed 241 people on board and several people on the ground. The London-bound Boeing 787 struck a medical college hostel when it fell in a residential area of the northwestern city of Ahmedabad minutes after takeoff Thursday. DNA testing was being conducted to identify bodies that were mostly charred beyond recognition. More victims are expected to be found in the search at the crash site. There was no information on whether the black boxes — the flight data and cockpit voice recorders — had been recovered. The plane hit a building hosting a medical college hostel and burst into flames, killing several students, in the city that is the capital of Gujarat, Modi's home state. Story continues below advertisement 2:37 Air India crash: Sole survivor seen walking to ambulance after 290+ killed in Gujrat '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,' Modi said on social media after visiting the site. 'We understand their pain and also know that the void left behind will be felt for years to come.' Meanwhile, the Phuket International Airport in southern Thailand said Friday it received a report that a pilot of Air India flight AI 379, which was bound for New Delhi, found a bomb threat message shortly after the morning flight took off. The plane requested an emergency landing back at Phuket and all 156 passengers were evacuated before authorities began an inspection of the plane, the airport said. The inspection results were not immediately announced. Modi meets lone survivor The survivor was seen in television footage meeting Modi at the government hospital where he was being treated for burns and other injuries. Story continues below advertisement Viswashkumar Ramesh told India's national broadcaster he still can't believe he was alive. He said the aircraft seemed to become stuck immediately after takeoff. He said then the lights came on, and right after that it accelerated but seemed unable to gain height before it crashed. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy He said the side of the plane where he was seated fell onto the ground floor of a building and there was space for him to escape after the door broke open. He unfastened his seat belt and forced himself out of the plane. 'When I opened my eyes, I realized I was alive,' he said. Investigation into the cause and identification of victims India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is investigating, and the U.S. participants in the probe are expected to include people from the National Transportation Safety Board, Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing and General Electric. Story continues below advertisement Medics are conducting DNA tests to identify those killed, the president of the Federation of All India Medical Association, Akshay Dongardiv, said. Meanwhile, grieving families gathered outside the Civil hospital in Ahmedabad on Friday. Two doctors at the hospital said the bodies of four medical students killed on the ground after the plane crash were handed to their families. They said at least 30 other injured students were still admitted in the hospital and at least four of them were critical. Modi held a meeting with senior officials Friday and met some of those injured on the ground during the hospital visit. 10:53 Air India crash: Aviation expert on why the 'extremely reliable' Boeing Dreamliner went down Thursday's Air India crash involved a 12-year-old Boeing 787. Boeing planes have been plagued by safety issues on other types of aircraft. According to experts, there are currently around 1,200 of the 787 Dreamliner aircraft worldwide and this was the first deadly crash in 16 years of operation. Story continues below advertisement Indian conglomerate Tata Sons took over Air India in 2022, returning the debt-saddled national carrier to private ownership after decades of government control. Since the takeover, Air India has ordered hundreds of new planes, redesigned its branding and livery and absorbed smaller airlines Tata held stakes in. Eyewitness accounts describe damage Residents living in the vicinity, who were among the first to rush to the crash site and help with rescue, described the scale of damage like they had never seen. 'In the beginning, I couldn't understand anything, it was only smoke everywhere. We could see some small parts (of the plane) burning,' Indrajeet Singh Solanki said. Solanki said he and many others helped the injured people and rushed them to hospitals. 'We had only one aim: to save lives no matter what happens,' he said. Story continues below advertisement The tragedy has left him shaken. 'It will be hard to sleep for the next few days at least,' Solanki said. –Roy reported from New Delhi and Hussain reported from Srinagar, India. Jintamas Saksornchai contributed from Bangkok, Thailand.
Toronto Sun
an hour ago
- Toronto Sun
‘I GOT UP AND RAN': How one man survived plane crash that killed 241
Published Jun 13, 2025 • 3 minute read This handout photo issued by the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs shows Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah meeting British plane crash survivor Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, at a hospital in Ahmedabad, after 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. Photo by Indian Ministry of Home Affairs / AP (Bloomberg) — As Air India Flight AI171 descended toward its doom on Thursday, Ramesh Vishwaskumar sat in the first row of economy class — headed for one of the most harrowing and luckiest moments of his life. After the Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliner slammed into a densely populated district of the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, Vishwaskumar managed to get out of the plane. He was injured, but alive. All the 241 others on board had died. A video that has since gone viral on social media shows a slightly bloodied man walking near the crash site, surrounded by an incredulous crowd. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account 38-year-old British national Ramesh Vishwaskumar, who was sitting on seat number 11A, is now reportedly the only survivor of the Air India plane crash. According to reports, he saved his life by jumping from the emergency exit. — Global Index (@TheGlobal_Index) June 12, 2025 'Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise,' Vishwaskumar told local reporters, according to the Hindustan Times newspaper. 'There were dead bodies around me. I got scared. I got up and ran. There were pieces of the plane everywhere.' Media outlets identified him as a UK citizen aged 40, from the city of Leicester. It's a tale of survival that stands out in an aircraft accident that ranks as the worst disaster in civil aviation in more than a decade. The cause of the crash, which killed scores more on the ground as the fully fueled aircraft tore into buildings and exploded into flames, remains unknown. Doctors said Vishwaskumar's injuries weren't life threatening, according to a Hindustan Times report. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Vishwaskumar's survival defies what has otherwise been a devastating episode that extends a string of deadly aviation crashes in recent months. Other accidents have included the mid-air collision between a military helicopter and a civil aircraft above Washington DC in January, which left no survivors. Only two people escaped the impact of a Boeing 737 with a runway barrier in December in South Korea. Vishwaskumar, as he recovers and is interviewed further, may also be able to offer valuable clues as to what caused the accident. Salvage crews are still sifting through the wreckage to find possible survivors among people on the ground, alongside technical data like the voice and data recorders that are crucial to piece together the final moments of the doomed flight. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I couldn't believe what I was watching or how I made it out alive,' Vishwaskumar said in a later interview with local media outlet NDTV. 'When I opened my eyes, I realized I was alive. I removed my seatbelt and got off.' Vishwaskumar said that soon after take off, it felt like the aircraft was 'stuck for five to 10 seconds' and green and white lights started flashing. 'It seemed like it was pushing harder to take off,' he said. The green and white lights were likely emanating from the exit sign hanging off the cabin ceiling of the plane. 'On the side I was on, that part of the plane didn't crash into the hostel, it landed on the ground floor. When the door on my side broke, I saw an opportunity to escape, so I got out. My left hand got burned when the fire started, but I was able to make it out.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The lucky passenger was seated in row 11 at the left window seat, the first row in economy class that's positioned right behind an emergency exit. An Air India 787 Dreamliner typically seats 256 passengers in a two-class configuration, with 18 seats in business and 238 seats in economy. That proximity to an exit may well have contributed to saving his life. Follow Bloomberg India on WhatsApp for exclusive content and analysis on what billionaires, businesses and markets are doing. Sign up here. 'There was some space where I landed,' Vishwaskumar said. 'And I managed to walk away from the wreckage.' — With assistance from Akriti Sharma and Danny Lee. Read More Sunshine Girls World Toronto & GTA Toronto & GTA Sunshine Girls
Toronto Star
an hour ago
- Toronto Star
Air India's sole crash survivor narrates his escape
NEW DELHI (AP) — The lone passenger who survived the Air India crash that killed 241 people onboard couldn't believe he was alive when he opened his eyes, surrounded by flames, debris and charred bodies. The British national of Indian origin, Vishwashkumar Ramesh, was headed to London when the flight crashed minutes after taking off from India's northwestern city of Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon.
