Deadly Air India plane crash kills hundreds — with a single survivor: photos
Firefighters work at the site of a plane crash in Ahmedabad, India, Thursday, June 12, 2025. SIDDHARAJ SOLANKI/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock A suitcase is found among the debris left behind. SIDDHARAJ SOLANKI/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Search and rescue teams respond to the scene of a plane crash in Ahmedabad, India, Thursday, June 12, 2025. SIDDHARAJ SOLANKI/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Debris at the site of a plane crash near Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. SIDDHARAJ SOLANKI/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock The airplane crashed into the hostel canteen of the B.J. Medical College. AP A family member cries upon hearing the news of her brother who died in the plane crash. REUTERS An official standing at the site of the London-bound plane crash. SIDDHARAJ SOLANKI/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock A medical worker near a severely burned car. AP Rescuers attempting to find survivors among the wreckage. AP A body being carried away from the site of the incident. REUTERS
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Bloomberg
40 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Air India Crash: The Search for Answers Begins
A day after the London-bound Air India Dreamliner crashed into a neighborhood, Sanjai P R returns to the scene to see how things are unfolding on the ground. (Source: Bloomberg)
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Is seat 11A the safest on a plane? Not really, experts say
By Joe Brock and Lisa Barrington LONDON (Reuters) -The survival of a passenger who escaped through an exit door seconds after his Air India flight crashed killing everyone else on board has prompted speculation over whether his seat, 11A, is the safest. Aviation experts say it is not so straightforward because aircraft vary widely in seat configurations, crashes are unique and survival often hinges on a complex interplay of factors. "Each accident is different, and it is impossible to predict survivability based on seat location," said Mitchell Fox, a director at Flight Safety Foundation, a U.S.-based nonprofit. Ramesh Viswashkumar said his 11A seat was near an emergency exit on the London-bound Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner that crashed in Ahmedabad on Thursday and he managed to walk out. Sitting next to an exit door might help you survive an accident but it won't always be 11A because aircraft can have dozens of different configurations. "In this particular instance, because the passenger was sitting adjacent to the emergency exit, this was obviously the safest seat on the day," said Ron Bartsch, Chairman at Sydney-based AvLaw Aviation Consulting. "But it's not always 11A, it's just 11A on this configuration of the Boeing 787." A 2007 Popular Mechanics study of crashes since 1971 found that passengers towards the back of the plane had better survival odds. Some experts suggest the wing section offers more stability. Sitting next to an exit door, like Viswashkumar, gives you an opportunity to be one of the first out of the plane, although some exits don't function after a crash. The opposite side of the plane was blocked by the wall of a building it crashed into, he said. In January of last year, a panel missing several bolts blew off the side of a Boeing 737 MAX mid-flight, creating a gaping hole and damaging the adjacent seat. Fortunately, no one was seated there at the time, and the incident resulted in no fatalities. Sitting by the aisle might offer you a speedier escape but it increases the likelihood of being hit in the head by luggage falling out of the overhead bins - a much more common occurrence than major crashes. SAFETY BRIEFINGS Paying attention to the safety briefing at the start of your flight - often dismissed as routine - is likely the best way to improve your chances of survival, experts say. Disciplined compliance with cabin crew evacuation advice, including leaving bags behind, was a key factor in saving the lives of all 379 passengers and crew aboard a Japan Airlines flight in January last year. The Airbus A350 aircraft had collided with a Coast Guard plane at Tokyo's Haneda Airport, killing five of the six crew members on the smaller aircraft. Safety briefings typically cover critical instructions such as how to fasten your seatbelt securely, adopt the correct brace position and plan your evacuation route. A common tip is to count the number of rows between your seat and the nearest exit - vital knowledge if the cabin fills with smoke and visibility is low. Despite disasters such as the Air India crash, plane designs have evolved to increase the likelihood of passengers walking away from a rare plane accident, Fox said. These include floor path lighting, fire detection and extinguishers, less flammable cabin materials and improved access to emergency exits. "There have been remarkable advancements in airplane cabin design that have improved the survivability of accidents on or near the ground," Fox said.
San Francisco Chronicle
2 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
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, Viswashkumar Ramesh, was headed to London when the flight crashed minutes after taking off from India's northwestern city of Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon. It was one of India's worst aviation disasters and the first crash for a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner since the widebody, twin-engine planes went into service in 2009, according to the Aviation Safety Network database. Currently admitted in a local government hospital, Ramesh narrated his ordeal to India's national broadcaster, saying the aircraft seemed stuck midair within a few seconds of the takeoff. He said green and white lights came on, and right after that, the aircraft accelerated but seemed unable to gain height before it crashed. Seated in 11A, Ramesh said his side of the plane 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. Ramesh sustained burn injuries on his left hand and walked some distance in shock before he was assisted by the locals and taken to the hospital in an ambulance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited the crash side on Friday, met the lone survivor. 'I told Modi what all I had witnessed. He also enquired about my health,' Ramesh said from his hospital bed. Dr. Dhaval Gameti, who treated him, said he was disoriented with multiple injuries all over his body but seems to be out of danger. Ramesh, who had his boarding pass with him in the hospital, said he saw several passengers and crew members losing their lives and parts of the plane strewn around the crash site. Ramesh was traveling with his brother and called relatives in Leicester after the crash, his cousin, Ajay Valgi, told the BBC. He has a wife and 'little boy' at home. 'He only said that he's fine, nothing else,' Valgi said, adding that the family is 'happy that he's OK, but we're still upset about the other brother.' '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',' he told Sky. This story corrects the spelling of Ramesh's first name.
