British crash survivor told family 'I don't know how I'm alive' seconds after plane came down

Sky News

3 days ago

The British man who survived the Air India plane crash told his family "I don't know how I'm alive" in a phone call seconds after the plane came down, his brother has told Sky News.
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh is the only passenger reported to have survived after Air India Flight 171 crashed into a building shortly after take-off in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on Thursday afternoon.
Relatives confirmed they had spoken to him since the crash - but they have not been able to contact his brother who was also believed to be on board.
Speaking from Leicester, Mr Ramesh's brother Nayan told Sky News' Shamaan Freeman-Powell that their father was on the phone to Vishwash while the plane was still on the runway.
"My dad called him," the 27 year old said. "And Vishwash said 'oh we're going to take off soon."
Two minutes later, their father received a video call from Mr Ramesh to say the plane had crashed and he had survived.
"He video called my dad as he crashed and said 'Oh the plane's crashed. I don't know where my brother is. I don't see any other passengers. I don't know how I'm alive - how I exited the plane'," Nayan said.
Mr Ramesh earlier told the Hindustan Times that he heard a "loud noise" around 30 seconds after take-off - and before the plane went down.
"It all happened so quickly," he told the newspaper, adding he had received "impact injuries" to his chest, eyes and feet.
"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."
Nayan Kumar Ramesh said he was supposed to be collecting his brother from Gatwick Airport on Thursday and the whole family planned to come together for a gathering this weekend.
"I've got no words to describe it," he said. "It's a miracle that he survived - but what about the other miracle for my other brother."
Asked how he and his relatives were feeling, he replied: "Devastated. I'm scared to fly now - to even sit on a plane."
Footage shared widely on social media showed Mr Ramesh limping away from the crash site and being led towards emergency services.
He told Indian media he has lived in London for 20 years. According to the Hindustan Times report, Mr Ramesh is 40 - but official flight documents list his age as 38.
He told the newspaper his brother was sitting in a different row on the plane. "We visited Diu. He was travelling with me and I can't find him anymore. Please help me find him."
The aircraft departed Ahmedabad for London Gatwick at 1.38pm local time on Thursday, carrying 242 passengers and crew members.
They included 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian national, the airline said.
According to tracking website Flightradar, a signal was last received from the plane less than a minute after it took off.
It then crashed into a medical school's residential quarters in Meghaninagar, Ahmedabad, the largest city in Gujarat state.
In a statement, London Gatwick said the flight was due to land at 6.25pm UK time on Thursday and a reception centre for relatives of those on board is being set up where information and support will be provided.
The UK Foreign Office said it is "working with local authorities in India to urgently establish the facts and provide support to those involved".
British nationals who require consular assistance are advised to call 020 7008 5000, while Air India has set up hotlines to provide information on [phone] for foreign nationals or 1800 5691 444 if calling from India.
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Initially, an Ahmedabad city police commissioner claimed there appeared to be no survivors.
The local police chief later said that at least 204 bodies had been recovered from the crash site, according to Reuters.
Thursday's is the first crash of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner in its history, according to the Aviation Safety Network database.
The model, a widebody, twin-engine plane, has made five million journeys in the 14 years since its first passenger flight.
Meanwhile, India's prime minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences in a post on X.
"The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us," he wrote. "It is heartbreaking beyond words. In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it."
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