The extraordinary escape of the lone surviving passenger of the Air India crash
The survivor of the Air India flight 171 crash Thursday revealed he miraculously survived by escaping through a broken emergency exit.
There were 242 people on board the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, bound for London, that crashed shortly after takeoff in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, smashing in a fiery blast into a medical college hostel, killing and injuring more people on the ground.
It was the worst aviation disaster in a decade. Ramesh Viswashkumar, 40, was the sole passenger to survive.
'I can't explain. Everything was happening in my eye. I can't explain,' Viswashkumar, a British national of Indian origin, told DD News, an Indian state-owned broadcaster Friday.
Police said Viswashkumar was sat in seat 11A, near the emergency exit. Viswashkumar, visibly cut up from the crash, said he was able to escape moments before the blast when the emergency door broke.
'Emergency door is broken. My seat is broken. Then I see the space a little bit and I will try to come out,' he told DD News. He was able to get out as the aircraft caught fire.
'Little bit of fire, after I'm out, then blast,' he recalled.
Footage of the crash showed a massive ball of fire as the plane's full fuel tanks exploded, filling the sky with thick black smoke.
The survivability is 'extremely limited' in plane crashes like the one that happened in Ahmedabad yesterday, Trevor Bock, a safety consultant at Aviation Safety Asia said.
A large, heavy aircraft will be torn apart by the enormous amount of energy it carries as the plane hits the ground, he said. 'We're talking thousands of kilograms of weight,' adding that the plane, which has just taken off, had 'a lot of fuel.'
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South Wales Guardian
an hour ago
- South Wales Guardian
Community visibly emotional during candlelit vigil for Air India crash victims
Faith leaders from the Hindu, Muslim, Christian and Jewish communities led the service on Saturday at the Siddhashram Shakti Centre in Harrow, north-west London, where 20 of the victims are thought to have previously worshipped. One of the most emotional moments of the vigil came when Harrow Mayor, Councillor Anjana Patel, shared that two young girls had lost their father in the crash, just weeks after their mother died from cancer. Their father, Arjun Patoliya, had flown to Gujarat to scatter his wife Bharti's ashes following her death. He was returning home to his daughters, aged four and eight, when the plane went down. 'The saddest incident we have got here in Harrow is one parent had already died here because of cancer,' Cllr Patel said, as the crowd audibly gasped. 'The husband went to do the rituals in India and coming back, he was on board. He has left two little girls behind and the girls are now orphans. 'I really hope that those girls will be looked after by all of us.' She added: 'Caring is the most that we can do at this hour. 'We don't have any words to describe how the families and friends must be feeling, so what we can do is pray for them.' She also revealed how her sister-in-law's cousin had been killed in the crash. Local councillors, a local MP and residents packed into the temple for the ceremony, which included emotional tributes, candle lighting, and a message of condolence from the King. Bob Blackman, MP for Harrow East, said it was believed to be the highest number of British deaths ever recorded in a plane crash, with 53 UK nationals on board. 'When someone dies in illness or old age, we celebrate their lives,' he said. 'But when an air crash happens – completely unpredictable – people are taken away from us immediately, just like that.' 'We think of all those families sitting by the telephone, wondering if their loved ones were actually on the plane.' He said the Gujarati community in the UK was deeply affected, with victims having links to Harrow, Leicester, Birmingham and beyond. 'The difficulty the authorities have already got is: who are they visiting? Which family members were they coming to see in the UK?' he said. Councillor Hitesh Karia, who represents Pinner South ward and is a member of the temple's congregation, also shared the impact of the tragedy. Speaking to the PA news agency, he said: 'It's nice that the local community can come together – the local support means a lot. 'Twenty devotees that come here have sadly lost their lives.' 'It shows there is a solidarity, and despite the high amount of diversity, we can come together when appropriate.' The vigil was held at the temple led by Shri Rajrajeshwar Guruji, who previously told PA he knew 20 of the victims personally. Many in the hall quietly wept as candles were lit by representatives of all four faiths. 'The only feeling left is sadness – we can't do any more,' Mr Guruji said.
North Wales Chronicle
an hour ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Community visibly emotional during candlelit vigil for Air India crash victims
Faith leaders from the Hindu, Muslim, Christian and Jewish communities led the service on Saturday at the Siddhashram Shakti Centre in Harrow, north-west London, where 20 of the victims are thought to have previously worshipped. One of the most emotional moments of the vigil came when Harrow Mayor, Councillor Anjana Patel, shared that two young girls had lost their father in the crash, just weeks after their mother died from cancer. Their father, Arjun Patoliya, had flown to Gujarat to scatter his wife Bharti's ashes following her death. He was returning home to his daughters, aged four and eight, when the plane went down. 'The saddest incident we have got here in Harrow is one parent had already died here because of cancer,' Cllr Patel said, as the crowd audibly gasped. 'The husband went to do the rituals in India and coming back, he was on board. He has left two little girls behind and the girls are now orphans. 'I really hope that those girls will be looked after by all of us.' She added: 'Caring is the most that we can do at this hour. 'We don't have any words to describe how the families and friends must be feeling, so what we can do is pray for them.' She also revealed how her sister-in-law's cousin had been killed in the crash. Local councillors, a local MP and residents packed into the temple for the ceremony, which included emotional tributes, candle lighting, and a message of condolence from the King. Bob Blackman, MP for Harrow East, said it was believed to be the highest number of British deaths ever recorded in a plane crash, with 53 UK nationals on board. 'When someone dies in illness or old age, we celebrate their lives,' he said. 'But when an air crash happens – completely unpredictable – people are taken away from us immediately, just like that.' 'We think of all those families sitting by the telephone, wondering if their loved ones were actually on the plane.' He said the Gujarati community in the UK was deeply affected, with victims having links to Harrow, Leicester, Birmingham and beyond. 'The difficulty the authorities have already got is: who are they visiting? Which family members were they coming to see in the UK?' he said. Councillor Hitesh Karia, who represents Pinner South ward and is a member of the temple's congregation, also shared the impact of the tragedy. Speaking to the PA news agency, he said: 'It's nice that the local community can come together – the local support means a lot. 'Twenty devotees that come here have sadly lost their lives.' 'It shows there is a solidarity, and despite the high amount of diversity, we can come together when appropriate.' The vigil was held at the temple led by Shri Rajrajeshwar Guruji, who previously told PA he knew 20 of the victims personally. Many in the hall quietly wept as candles were lit by representatives of all four faiths. 'The only feeling left is sadness – we can't do any more,' Mr Guruji said.
Powys County Times
2 hours ago
- Powys County Times
Community visibly emotional during candlelit vigil for Air India crash victims
People attending a vigil in London to remember victims of the Air India plane crash became visibly emotional after learning that two young girls had been orphaned by the disaster. Faith leaders from the Hindu, Muslim, Christian and Jewish communities led the service on Saturday at the Siddhashram Shakti Centre in Harrow, north-west London, where 20 of the victims are thought to have previously worshipped. One of the most emotional moments of the vigil came when Harrow Mayor, Councillor Anjana Patel, shared that two young girls had lost their father in the crash, just weeks after their mother died from cancer. Their father, Arjun Patoliya, had flown to Gujarat to scatter his wife Bharti's ashes following her death. He was returning home to his daughters, aged four and eight, when the plane went down. 'The saddest incident we have got here in Harrow is one parent had already died here because of cancer,' Cllr Patel said, as the crowd audibly gasped. 'The husband went to do the rituals in India and coming back, he was on board. He has left two little girls behind and the girls are now orphans. 'I really hope that those girls will be looked after by all of us.' She added: 'Caring is the most that we can do at this hour. 'We don't have any words to describe how the families and friends must be feeling, so what we can do is pray for them.' She also revealed how her sister-in-law's cousin had been killed in the crash. Local councillors, a local MP and residents packed into the temple for the ceremony, which included emotional tributes, candle lighting, and a message of condolence from the King. Bob Blackman, MP for Harrow East, said it was believed to be the highest number of British deaths ever recorded in a plane crash, with 53 UK nationals on board. 'When someone dies in illness or old age, we celebrate their lives,' he said. 'But when an air crash happens – completely unpredictable – people are taken away from us immediately, just like that.' 'We think of all those families sitting by the telephone, wondering if their loved ones were actually on the plane.' He said the Gujarati community in the UK was deeply affected, with victims having links to Harrow, Leicester, Birmingham and beyond. 'The difficulty the authorities have already got is: who are they visiting? Which family members were they coming to see in the UK?' he said. Councillor Hitesh Karia, who represents Pinner South ward and is a member of the temple's congregation, also shared the impact of the tragedy. Speaking to the PA news agency, he said: 'It's nice that the local community can come together – the local support means a lot. 'Twenty devotees that come here have sadly lost their lives.' 'It shows there is a solidarity, and despite the high amount of diversity, we can come together when appropriate.' The vigil was held at the temple led by Shri Rajrajeshwar Guruji, who previously told PA he knew 20 of the victims personally. Many in the hall quietly wept as candles were lit by representatives of all four faiths.
