Bomb threat on Air India flight carrying 156 passengers triggers emergency landing in Thailand less than 24 hours after deadly crash in Ahmedabad
An Air India plane has been forced to make an emergency landing in Thailand, Phuket, after receiving an onboard bomb threat during a flight from the island to India's capital, New Delhi.
Flight AI 379 was carrying 159 passengers onboard on Friday morning (local time), all of whom were escorted as per emergency plans, an Airports of Thailand official said.
According to flight tracker Flightradar24, the aircraft took off from Phuket airport at 9.30am, but made a wide loop around the Andaman Sea before landing back on the southern Thai island, following the threat.
The incident comes less than 24 hours after an an Air India flight bound for London crashed in a ball of fire as it went down just moments after take off in India's western city of Ahmedabad.
All but one British national passenger out of 242 people onboard the flight were killed in the deadly crash after it landed on a residential medical school hostel .
Air India said the passengers included 169 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese citizens and one Canadian. The tragedy has been labelled the worst air crash in the last 10 years.
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News.com.au
27 minutes ago
- News.com.au
‘Nothing worked': Haunting video hours before Air India crash
Shocking footage showed the Boeing 787 Dreamliner's interior with defective TV screens and 'no air conditioning at all' when it flew from Delhi to Ahmedadbad – two hours prior to the horror smash. Air India Flight AI171 was en route to London Gatwick when it crashed into a hostel used by doctors on Thursday. It had 242 people on board, including 53 Brits and 11 children. So far, 204 bodies have been recovered, and one Brit is believed to have survived. On X, Akash Vasta claimed that he had flown on the very same aircraft just two hours before it crashed. He posted horrifying footage which showed many parts of the plane not functioning properly during its second last ever flight. He said on X: 'I was in the same damn flight 2 hours before it took off from AMD. I came in this from DEL-AMD.' The shocked passenger added that he had 'noticed unusual things' in the plane which he suggested may have been telltale signs that it was defective. In the concerning footage, he can be heard saying: 'The AC is not working at all. And as usual, your TV screens are also not working, neither this button for calling the cabin crew.' He said: 'Nothing is working. Nothing! Not even the light is working.' The worried passenger asked: 'Is this what you are providing?' He also complained that he was 'sweating like hell' due to the lack of AC, and stated that this was why 'Air India is considered one of the worst airlines in the world'. It comes as one 40-year-old Brit, Ajay Kumar Vishwash, claimed that he cheated death after jumping off the flaming Air India jet before it crashed. Unbelievable footage showed Vishwash walking away from what is understood to be the crash site of the doomed Air India flight to London Gatwick. Vishwash, who still had his boarding pass, told Hindustan Times: '30 seconds after takeoff, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly.' Full harrowing CCTV footage has also now shown the Boeing 787 taking off before appearing to lose power in Ahmedabad in the west of India. The plane was flying to London Gatwick Airport and was carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew. Video showed the plane taxing down the runway before taking off at around 1.38pm local time from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad. It also showed the plane take to the sky – before it appears to stop climbing and then plummet back down to earth. The flight then crashed in a fireball into a doctor's hostel. Police are now hunting through the rubble and wreckage for any survivors. According to flight tracking website Flightradar, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner's final signal was received just seconds after takeoff. This was last logged at 1:38pm local time – less than a minute after it started the journey. It had only reached 625ft at the time, officials believe. In a statement the airline said: 'Flight AI171, operating Ahmedabad-London Gatwick was involved in an accident on 12 June 2025.' 'At this moment, we are ascertaining the details and will share further updates at the earliest opportunity.' Out of the 242 on board, 169 were Indian travellers, one Canadian and seven Portuguese nationals alongside the Brits.
The Advertiser
4 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Men jailed for stealing golden toilet from UK mansion
Two men who stole a golden toilet from an English mansion have been sentenced to more than two years in prison. The 18-carat fully functioning toilet was on display as a piece of contemporary art at Blenheim Palace - the country mansion where British wartime leader Winston Churchill was born - when five burglars smashed a window and yanked it from its plumbing in a brazen early-morning raid in September 2019. It was never recovered and was believed to have been chopped up and sold. James Sheen, 40, a roofer who pleaded guilty to burglary, conspiracy and transferring criminal property was sentenced in Oxford Crown Court to four years in prison. Michael Jones, 39, who worked for Sheen and was convicted of burglary at trial, was sentenced to two years and three months. The toilet weighed 98kg and was worth more than its weight in gold, being insured for more than $US6 million ($A9.2 million). The toilet was part of a satirical commentary on consumer culture, titled America, by Italian conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan, whose work of a banana duct-taped to a wall was sold in 2024 for $US6.2 million at auction in New York. "This bold and brazen heist took no more than five-and-a-half minutes to complete," Judge Ian Pringle said in recounting the crime on Friday. "America has never been seen again." The piece that poked fun at excessive wealth had previously been on display at The Guggenheim Museum, in New York, which had offered the work to US President Donald Trump during his first term in office after he had asked to borrow a Van Gogh painting. Jones had booked a viewing of the toilet the day before the theft to take photos, check out the lock and have his own private session on the golden throne. He deemed the experience "splendid" during his testimony. The next morning before dawn the gang of thieves crashed through the wooden gates of the palace in two stolen vehicles and tore well-tended lawns. They pulled up to the estate's courtyard and smashed a window that Jones had photographed the day before. The thieves used sledgehammers and a crowbar to wrench the toilet from its foundation, causing considerable damage to the 18th-century property, a UNESCO World Heritage site filled with valuable art and furniture that draws thousands of visitors each year. Two men who stole a golden toilet from an English mansion have been sentenced to more than two years in prison. The 18-carat fully functioning toilet was on display as a piece of contemporary art at Blenheim Palace - the country mansion where British wartime leader Winston Churchill was born - when five burglars smashed a window and yanked it from its plumbing in a brazen early-morning raid in September 2019. It was never recovered and was believed to have been chopped up and sold. James Sheen, 40, a roofer who pleaded guilty to burglary, conspiracy and transferring criminal property was sentenced in Oxford Crown Court to four years in prison. Michael Jones, 39, who worked for Sheen and was convicted of burglary at trial, was sentenced to two years and three months. The toilet weighed 98kg and was worth more than its weight in gold, being insured for more than $US6 million ($A9.2 million). The toilet was part of a satirical commentary on consumer culture, titled America, by Italian conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan, whose work of a banana duct-taped to a wall was sold in 2024 for $US6.2 million at auction in New York. "This bold and brazen heist took no more than five-and-a-half minutes to complete," Judge Ian Pringle said in recounting the crime on Friday. "America has never been seen again." The piece that poked fun at excessive wealth had previously been on display at The Guggenheim Museum, in New York, which had offered the work to US President Donald Trump during his first term in office after he had asked to borrow a Van Gogh painting. Jones had booked a viewing of the toilet the day before the theft to take photos, check out the lock and have his own private session on the golden throne. He deemed the experience "splendid" during his testimony. The next morning before dawn the gang of thieves crashed through the wooden gates of the palace in two stolen vehicles and tore well-tended lawns. They pulled up to the estate's courtyard and smashed a window that Jones had photographed the day before. The thieves used sledgehammers and a crowbar to wrench the toilet from its foundation, causing considerable damage to the 18th-century property, a UNESCO World Heritage site filled with valuable art and furniture that draws thousands of visitors each year. Two men who stole a golden toilet from an English mansion have been sentenced to more than two years in prison. The 18-carat fully functioning toilet was on display as a piece of contemporary art at Blenheim Palace - the country mansion where British wartime leader Winston Churchill was born - when five burglars smashed a window and yanked it from its plumbing in a brazen early-morning raid in September 2019. It was never recovered and was believed to have been chopped up and sold. James Sheen, 40, a roofer who pleaded guilty to burglary, conspiracy and transferring criminal property was sentenced in Oxford Crown Court to four years in prison. Michael Jones, 39, who worked for Sheen and was convicted of burglary at trial, was sentenced to two years and three months. The toilet weighed 98kg and was worth more than its weight in gold, being insured for more than $US6 million ($A9.2 million). The toilet was part of a satirical commentary on consumer culture, titled America, by Italian conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan, whose work of a banana duct-taped to a wall was sold in 2024 for $US6.2 million at auction in New York. "This bold and brazen heist took no more than five-and-a-half minutes to complete," Judge Ian Pringle said in recounting the crime on Friday. "America has never been seen again." The piece that poked fun at excessive wealth had previously been on display at The Guggenheim Museum, in New York, which had offered the work to US President Donald Trump during his first term in office after he had asked to borrow a Van Gogh painting. Jones had booked a viewing of the toilet the day before the theft to take photos, check out the lock and have his own private session on the golden throne. He deemed the experience "splendid" during his testimony. The next morning before dawn the gang of thieves crashed through the wooden gates of the palace in two stolen vehicles and tore well-tended lawns. They pulled up to the estate's courtyard and smashed a window that Jones had photographed the day before. The thieves used sledgehammers and a crowbar to wrench the toilet from its foundation, causing considerable damage to the 18th-century property, a UNESCO World Heritage site filled with valuable art and furniture that draws thousands of visitors each year. Two men who stole a golden toilet from an English mansion have been sentenced to more than two years in prison. The 18-carat fully functioning toilet was on display as a piece of contemporary art at Blenheim Palace - the country mansion where British wartime leader Winston Churchill was born - when five burglars smashed a window and yanked it from its plumbing in a brazen early-morning raid in September 2019. It was never recovered and was believed to have been chopped up and sold. James Sheen, 40, a roofer who pleaded guilty to burglary, conspiracy and transferring criminal property was sentenced in Oxford Crown Court to four years in prison. Michael Jones, 39, who worked for Sheen and was convicted of burglary at trial, was sentenced to two years and three months. The toilet weighed 98kg and was worth more than its weight in gold, being insured for more than $US6 million ($A9.2 million). The toilet was part of a satirical commentary on consumer culture, titled America, by Italian conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan, whose work of a banana duct-taped to a wall was sold in 2024 for $US6.2 million at auction in New York. "This bold and brazen heist took no more than five-and-a-half minutes to complete," Judge Ian Pringle said in recounting the crime on Friday. "America has never been seen again." The piece that poked fun at excessive wealth had previously been on display at The Guggenheim Museum, in New York, which had offered the work to US President Donald Trump during his first term in office after he had asked to borrow a Van Gogh painting. Jones had booked a viewing of the toilet the day before the theft to take photos, check out the lock and have his own private session on the golden throne. He deemed the experience "splendid" during his testimony. The next morning before dawn the gang of thieves crashed through the wooden gates of the palace in two stolen vehicles and tore well-tended lawns. They pulled up to the estate's courtyard and smashed a window that Jones had photographed the day before. The thieves used sledgehammers and a crowbar to wrench the toilet from its foundation, causing considerable damage to the 18th-century property, a UNESCO World Heritage site filled with valuable art and furniture that draws thousands of visitors each year.
News.com.au
5 hours ago
- News.com.au
Tiny detail from survivor may help solve Air India mystery
The death-cheating Brit sole survivor of the Air India disaster has revealed a clue that something was wrong just moments before the crash. Vishwash Ramesh, 40, said the cabin lights began flickering before the jet sank through the air – a detail which could help solve the mystery of the catastrophe, The Sun reports. Recalling the moments before tragedy, Vishwash, from Leicester, said: 'When the flight took off, within five to 10 seconds it felt like it was stuck in the air. 'Suddenly, the lights started flickering – green and white. 'The aircraft wasn't gaining altitude and was just gliding before it suddenly slammed into a building and exploded.' Vishwash's flickering lights revelation comes after a passenger, who took the plane the day before the crash, claimed electrical parts such as the back-of-seat screens weren't working. Aviation experts have speculated that the reports of dodgy electrics could be a sign of a power failure, possibly explaining the crash. Air India is keeping an open mind as to what went wrong and caused the deaths of 52 Brits. Theories being considered include issues with the engine thrust, flaps and landing gear – as well as a bird strike and a pilot error. And the Indian government's investigation is also considering whether Air India was at fault in any way. India's aviation regulator had recently ordered the airline to safety check its entire Boeing 787 fleet. Vishwash is the only person who can provide an insider's witness account of the moment – and previously said he has 'no idea' how he survived. He said: 'I saw people dying in front of my eyes – the air hostesses, and two people I saw near me [ …] I walked out of the rubble.' The lucky escapee speculated: 'I think the side I was on was not facing the hostel. I don't know about others.' Other analysts have suggested he managed to escape thanks to a flying piece of fuselage – which was caught soaring through the air on video. Vishwash's seat was 11A, right next to the emergency door, which is understood to have blown off when the plane struck the building and then exploded. In the unbelievable footage, a tiny object is seen flying away for a split second – right before the jet is engulfed in flames. Investigators continue to analyse the footage and search for the mystery piece of debris as they try to find out what caused the horror crash. Recalling the moment of disbelief when he found himself alive, Vishwash said: 'At first, I thought I was dead. Later, I realised I was still alive and saw an opening in the fuselage. 'I managed to unbuckle myself, used my leg to push through that opening and crawled out.' '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.' Vishwash that the plane caught fire before he fought through the rubble – and then exploded when he was just out of harm's way. Footage shows Vishwash, staggering and caked in blood with locals helping him an ambulance. Speaking in Hindi, he says: 'I just got out of the plane, it exploded.' From there he was rushed to hospital, and has since heaped praise on the medical staff treating him. He said: 'My treatment is going well, and the people are very supportive.' Vishwash's brother Ajay was on-board the plane and died.
