Air India crash investigations continue as British victims are named
Investigations are continuing into the crash of a London-bound plane that killed 240 people, with the death toll likely to increase.
Air India confirmed there was only one survivor – a UK national – out of the 242 people on board the 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.
Images taken after the incident showed debris from the plane embedded in the BJ Medical College building.
At least five medical students were killed and about 50 injured.
Briton Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, is believed to be the only survivor of the crash.
He was in seat 11A, next to one of the aircraft's emergency exits.
Speaking outside the family home in Leicester, his brother, Nayan Kumar Ramesh, 27, said: 'We were just shocked as soon as we heard it.
'I last spoke to him yesterday morning. We're devastated, just devastated.
'He said, 'I have no idea how I exited the plane'.'
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'.
'So so sad to hear that Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek and his partner are reported to be among the passengers and crew killed today on board the Air India flight bound for Gatwick,' he said in an Instagram post.
'I remember his visit to the studio in January, he was passionate about auras and although I'm a sceptical sort his vibrancy and sheer enthusiasm won folk over.'
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.
'During this moment of overwhelming sorrow, our hearts go out to all those left behind,' a statement said.
'No words can truly ease the pain of such a profound loss, but we pray that the family may find solace in the tremendous outpouring of compassion and solidarity from communities across the world.'
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.
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.
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 (NTSB) were also headed to India with support from Boeing and GE Aerospace.
He told reporters it was 'way too premature' to ground Boeing 737s in the aftermath of the crash.
'They have to get on the ground and take a look,' he said. 'People are looking at videos and trying to assess what happened, which is never a strong, smart way to make decisions on what took place.'
The King said he was 'desperately shocked' and Buckingham Palace said he was being kept updated.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the UK was in constant contact with Indian authorities.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said any British nationals requiring consular assistance, or who have concerns about family or friends, should call 020 7008 5000.
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The Independent
32 minutes ago
- The Independent
Tributes pour in for Britons killed in Air India plane crash
Sisters who travelled to surprise their grandmother and a couple who lost their only son in a previous air tragedy have been named among the British victims in the Air India crash as their families wait for answers on what caused the disaster. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed in a fireball on Thursday in what is one of the deadliest plane accidents in terms of the number of British nationals killed. A radiologist from Derby who had a 'newly discovered love of fish and chips' was on the flight with his family, the city's Hindu Temple said. Dr Prateek Joshi, who worked at the Royal Derby Hospital, moved to the UK from India in 2021, a colleague who worked closely with him said. Dr Rajeev Singh said: 'He often entertained colleagues with stories about his passions outside of work, including his newly discovered love of fish and chips and enthusiasm for walking in the Peak District. 'It is hard to accept that a man with such a passion for life, and his beautiful young family, have been taken in this way.' Two sisters in their early 20s on their way home to London after surprising their grandmother for her birthday are also said to be among the victims. A cousin who lives in Ahmedabad said fashion designer Dhir and product manager Heer Baxi had an 'amazing aura' and wanted to 'roam the world'. 'They both had aspirations to be successful enough to roam around the world along with the parents,' Ishan Baxi said. Both women knew 'what is right and what is wrong', he added. 'Right now no one is able to come to terms because they both came here just to celebrate grandma's birthday but, see, the tragedy – they came, they celebrated and they both left the world, everything is vanished right in front of our eyes.' A couple who had already lost their only son in a previous aviation tragedy were on the plane, Shri Rajrajeshwar Guruji, who leads the Siddhashram Shakti Centre in Harrow, north-west London, said. They were returning from a religious celebration in India. 'This couple had gone to India for a religious celebration – they were coming back and now this has happened,' Mr Guruji, 53, said. 'After what has happened to their son as well – it's just terrible to think about.' A family of three from Gloucester were also on the flight, their family said in statement issued through their imam. Akeel Nanabawa, Hannaa Vorajee and their four-year-old daughter, Sara Nanabawa, were 'widely loved and deeply respected'. Ms Vorajee volunteered at a local Islamic school and was also a director for an organisation promoting understanding of the religion, Imam Abdullah Samad said. Mr Nanabawa ran a recruitment firm called Iceberg Recruitment Services which had a branch in Ahmedabad, India, according to the company's website. Imam Abdullah Samad said: 'This young family was incredibly close-knit – devoted parents and their beautiful, young daughter. 'They gave their time and energy to awareness campaigns and fundraising efforts, always guided by a strong sense of responsibility to help others. 'They were widely loved and deeply respected. His quiet generosity, her warmth and kindness, and their daughter's bright, joyful spirit made a lasting impact on everyone who knew them.' Air India confirmed 241 of the 242 people on board the plane were killed when it crashed and struck a medical college in Ahmedabad. The British survivor spoke of the horror of watching people 'dying in front of my eyes'. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh told DD News 'I still can't believe how I survived' as he spoke from his hospital bed on Friday. The 40-year-old told the broadcaster the plane felt like it was 'stuck in the air' shortly after take-off before lights began flickering green and white – adding: 'It suddenly slammed into a building and exploded.' The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has been in contact with Mr Ramesh to offer consular support, Downing Street said. The crash site was visited by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, with video footage showing him talking to Mr Ramesh in hospital. There are fears the number of people killed on the ground could rise. At least five medical students were killed and about 50 injured. Investigations are continuing into the cause of the crash. Aviation experts have speculated about the possible causes of 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. 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.
Daily Mail
33 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Experts reveal all after Air India's sole survivor escaped
By A British man sitting in seat 11A survived the fatal Air India Flight 171 to the awes of the world as many said it was an un-survivable flight. Now, experts have discussed whether such 'miracle seats' that can survive a plane crash actually exist. When Viswash Kumar Ramesh, 40, emerged from the wreckage of the Air India flight alive on Thursday, the world declared it a miracle as the other 241 passengers tragically perished. 'I don't know how I came out of it alive', Ramesh, who was traveling with his brother from India to London , said from his hospital bed. His boarding pass, which he managed to take with him, showed he was sitting in seat 11A, which has since been dubbed the miracle seat following the gruesome crash of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Several factors, including his seat position, could have played into his miraculous survival, experts said. Ramesh was sitting in a window seat in the emergency exit row, meaning he had the easiest access to get off the plane the fastest. 'I do think it had something to do with it,' Ella Atkins, the head of the Crofton Aerospace and Ocean Engineering Department at Virginia Tech, told calling his survival an 'extraordinary miracle.' 'He happened to be ejected in a way that didn't kill him.' The 58-year-old Virginian, who has been an engineer since 1988, said one's placement inside an aircraft 'absolutely' matters when it comes to surviving a horrific crash, such as Ramesh did. However, it's nearly impossible for passengers to preselect a seat that's going to save them as a plane can crash in so many different ways, the aerospace engineer said. Unsurprisingly, for frontal impacts, it's safest to be in the back of the plane. For tail impacts, the front. For a fuselage problem, the middle is the most dangerous spot as that's where the fuel is located. If the plane nosedives into the ground, crashes while upside down or lands in the middle of the ocean, the likelihood of a 'miracle seat' saving you from death diminishes to near zero. Without having some magical foresight, passengers cannot predetermine the exact seat that has the highest potential of saving their lives. 'I'm not going out [of my way] to ask for 11A after this,' Atkin, a frequent flyer, said. 'If I had to choose a place not to sit, it'd be first class.' However, that doesn't stop the professor from snagging the upgrade every time Delta offers it to her because air travel continues to be exceptionally safe. The logic about economy being safer centers on the fact that most plane crashes are frontal impacts - with business and first class seats usually situated at the front of the cabin. 'Any aircraft can crash like any car can,' she told 'I don't think there's a miracle seat... Every accident is so unique.' For a December 2024 Jeju Air flight, a 737 plane that slammed into a concrete barrier and burst into flames, the 'miracle seats' happened to be crew spots at the back of the plane - quite far from the general location Ramesh's seat would have been on that flight. A 737 is a small plane with a single aisle with two rows, while a 787 has a dual aisle and three rows of seating. Some experts say this can make a difference in some crashes. In the instance of a water landing, you're more likely to find a miracle seat on a single aisle aircraft because their fuselages are slightly more rigid and less likely to tear apart on impact. One prime example is the 2009 'Miracle on the Hudson' crash, when an Airbus A320 crash landed on the Hudson River fully intact after a bird strike caued engine failure. All 78 aboard survived. However, the size of the aircraft doesn't matter when it comes to commercial flights, Atkin said, as they 'tend to be extremely safe' and are 'painstakingly designed and tested.' The chance of survival doesn't necessarily change based on the size for commercial planes. However, single-engine planes, like Cessnas, have a much higher crash rate. 'It's clear in this case that something went wrong,' Atkins said of the Air India flight. Atkins believes 'both engines failed for this to happen' and said that's an 'extremely rare' occurrence. She reminds nervous flyers to 'keep in mind all those flights' that land each and every day. University of Greenwich Professor, Ed Galea, agreed that Ramesh's location in the emergency exit more than likely had something to do with his survival. 'He's got the seat as close as you could possibly be to an emergency exit. You can't be any closer,' Galea told The Telegraph. 'It's right on his side and he's actually in the A seat, which is the window seat. You could reach up and touch the door, you're that close to it.' Another reason that could have factored into Ramesh's survival is the fact that his seat is located near the wing of the plane. The 'wing box' is the most fortified place on the aircraft. 'That's the strongest part of the aircraft because there's the most structure there,' Galea told the outlet. 'And I believe seat 11A is just at the front of that very strong part of the aircraft. That may have been a factor.' Also, sitting in the emergency exit rows carry the highest chance of survival during an life-threatening situation as passengers have the fastest exit. '[It] greatly increases the chance of survival when there is a fire,' University of York Professor John McDermid told The Telegraph. However, both professors also believe the main thing that saved Ramesh was simply luck. 'He also had a lot of good fortune,' Galea said. 'Because why did he survive and 11B sitting right next to him didn't, or 11C or 12A?' Ironically, an American Airlines employee told The Sun in December that row 11 was the worst to sit in for impatient travelers. Specifically, seats 11A and 11F were cited as horrible seats as it can make exiting the plane slower. 'If you're looking for a quick exit, avoid row 11 at all costs,' the unidentified flight attendant told the outlet. 'Being in the middle row, especially in a window seat, which tends to be either A or F, almost guarantees you'll be one of the last off the plane.' The flight attendant did not specify which aircrafts this involved, as seating charts vary by design. Another reason, seat 11A can be a bad spot to pick is do to some aircrafts, such as a Boeing 737 - which is not the same as the Air India flight - not having a window due to the air conditioning system being there, a Flight Radar expert told Unilad Tech . Ramesh is being treated at a hospital in the northwestern city of Ahmedabad, where he told doctors that immediately after the plane took off, it began descending and suddenly split in two. Dr. Dhaval Gameti, who examined Ramesh, told the Associated Press that he was disoriented with multiple injuries all over his body' but that he 'seems to be out of danger.' Speaking to Indian broadcaster Doordarshan, Ramesh recounted his horrific ordeal, and spoke of how he witnessed two air hostesses die 'in front of my eyes.' 'For a while, I thought I was about to die. But when I opened my eyes, I saw I was alive. And I opened my seatbelt and got out of there,' he said. His seat was placed right next to the emergency door, which he says came off when the plane hit the ground. 'The side where I was seated fell into the ground floor of the building,' Ramesh recounted. 'There was some space. When the door broke, I saw that space and I just jumped out.' 'The door must've broken on impact,' he said. 'There was a wall on the opposite side, but near me, it was open. I ran. I don't know how.' When the plane hit the ground yesterday, seat 11A, where Ramesh was sat, collapsed into the ground floor of the building, instead of the upper levels where the jet's main body was badly destroyed. Ramesh also described how just moments after take-off, it 'felt like the plane had got stuck.' He recalled how the pilots tried to raise the jet, but it 'went full speed and crashed into the building'. Ramesh explained how the plane quickly caught fire following the crash, and said he burned his arm. Astonishing footage taken near the crash site yesterday showed Ramesh with visible injuries hobbling away from the jet before he was rushed to hospital for treatment. Ramesh, whose brother was also on the flight and is presumed dead, described yesterday how he heard a 'a loud noise' before the plane crashed. '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.' The Indian government has launched an investigation into the fatal crash of the London-bound plane that came down in a residential area of Ahmedabad. Officials said most of the bodies were charred beyond recognition.
Channel 4
36 minutes ago
- Channel 4
Tributes paid to British nationals killed in Air India crash
Tributes have been paid to the Britons feared to have died in the Air India plane crash.
