The lone passenger who survived the deadly Air India crash sparks interest in other sole survivors
The notion that only one person survived the Air India plane crash that killed 241 people on board Thursday is sparking interest on social media about how that could happen and if such a thing has happened before.
A medic has said Vishwashkumar Ramesh was thrown out of the plane and walked to a nearby ambulance for aid. Dr. Dhaval Gameti, who treated Ramesh, told The Associated Press that Ramesh was disoriented with multiple injuries all over his body, but that he seemed to be out of danger.
People on social media have been commenting about the idea of only one person surviving the crash, calling it unreal, remarkable, a work of divine intervention, and a miracle.
In recent decades, several other people have been the lone survivors of plane crashes.
Cecelia Crocker — known as Cecelia Cichan at the time of the 1987 crash — was aboard Northwest Airlines Flight 255 when it crashed in the Detroit suburb of Romulus, killing 154 people on board, including her parents and brother. Two people also died on the ground.
The Phoenix-bound plane was clearing the runway when it tilted and the left wing clipped a light pole before shearing the top off a rental car building. The McDonnell Douglas MD80 left a half-mile trail of bodies and wreckage along Middle Belt Road.
The National Transportation Safety Board concluded the plane's crew failed to set the wing flaps properly for takeoff. The agency also said a cockpit warning system did not alert the crew to the problem.
Cichan said in a 2013 documentary that she thought about the crash every day and that she had scars on her arms, legs and forehead. She had also gotten an airplane tattoo on her wrist.
'I got this tattoo as a reminder of where I've come from. I see it as — so many scars were put on my body against my will — and I decided to put this on my body for myself,' she said in the film.
At least three other people have been 'sole survivors' of plane crashes.
George Lamson Jr., then a 17-year-old from Plymouth, Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985.
Lamson in a social media post Thursday said the news of a plane crash in India with only one survivor shook him.
'There are no right words for moments like this, but I wanted to acknowledge it,' he said. 'These events don't just make headlines. They leave a lasting echo in the lives of those who've lived through something similar.'
Bahia Bakari, then 12, lived through a Yemenia Airways flight that crashed near the Comoro Islands in 2009.
Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky.
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The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Son of Air India crash victim says he missed her last call: ‘My worst nightmare'
The son of a British-Indian woman who died in the Air India plane crash has revealed he missed her last phone call, made just hours before she boarded the ill-fated flight. Manju Mahesh Patel, 79, had been sitting in seat 12D, one row behind the only survivor of the crash, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad airport on Thursday, striking a building where medical students had gathered for lunch. At least 270 deaths have been confirmed so far. Her son, Chirag Mahesh Patel, said she had called him at 4am that morning, but he missed the call. 'To the day I die I will think, 'What were her last moments?'' he told The Telegraph, reflecting on the last photo he has of his mother, smiling at a family gathering. 'I don't want to have to go and identify a burnt corpse, your own parent. How do you ever get over that?' Ms Patel had been in India for a few months, doing charity work at a local temple. Her son had been preparing to meet her at Gatwick Airport when news of the crash broke. 'She had ultimate faith,' Mr Patel said. 'In times of stress, she would always say God's name. So I know that upon take-off, I know she was saying his name. It's unimaginable – even in my worst nightmare.' Mr Patel said he and his wife would be flying to India to give a DNA sample for identification but expressed frustration at the lack of help from Air India. She was seated close to 40-year-old Mr Ramesh, who was flung from seat 11A and crawled out of the wreckage through a gaping hole in the fuselage. He remains in hospital in Ahmedabad.` The flight, which had taken off at 1.39pm local time, lost altitude within seconds of departure. A mayday call was made by the pilots, and Ahmedabad police later revealed the last words from the cockpit were: 'Thrust not achieved… falling… Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!' according to The Times of India. India's aviation regulator has since ordered a fleet-wide inspection of all Boeing 787s operated by local carriers. The aircraft involved – a 2013-model Dreamliner registered VT-ABN – was reportedly insured for $115m in 2021. Industry experts estimate the total insurance payout could reach up to $280m, potentially the largest aviation insurance claim in Indian history. Grief-stricken families have been gathering outside Ahmedabad's Civil Hospital, where doctors are working round the clock to identify the bodies through dental and DNA profiling. On Sunday, officials began handing over remains to relatives. Ambulance drivers from across Gujarat have been deployed to transport the deceased to their home districts. Air India said in a statement: 'Air India stands in solidarity with the families of the passengers who tragically lost their lives. Our teams on the ground are doing everything possible to extend care and support during this incredibly difficult time.' The airline announced an interim compensation of ₹2.5m (around £21,000) per victim and survivor, in addition to the ₹10m (£85,000) previously pledged by its parent company, Tata Group. Families in India with concerns can call Air India on 1800 5691 444. Those in the UK can reach the Foreign Office on 020 7008 5000.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Candlelit vigil held in Harrow for Air India plane 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 multi-faith service on Saturday was held at the Siddhashram Shakti Centre in Harrow, north-west London, where Mayor of Harrow Anjana Patel said 20 of the victims had previously also shared that two young girls had lost their father in the crash, just weeks after their mother had died from than 240 people were killed were killed on Thursday when a Boeing 787 bound for Gatwick crashed shortly after take-off in Ahmedabad. There were 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian on the flight. Patel told those gathered at the event that the siblings' father, Arjun Patoliya, had flown to Gujarat to scatter his wife Bharti's ashes following her 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," Patel said."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 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 added: "The difficulty the authorities have already got is: who are they visiting? Which family members were they coming to see in the UK?" Councillor Hitesh Karia, who represents Pinner South ward and is a member of the temple's congregation, also shared the impact of the 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 led by Shri Rajrajeshwar Guruji, who said he knew 20 of the victims in the hall quietly wept as candles were lit by representatives from the Hindu, Muslim, Christian and Jewish communities."The only feeling left is sadness - we can't do any more," Mr Guruji said.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Families grieve as officials start handing remains of victims killed in Air India crash
It was a morning heavy with grief outside the Civil Hospital mortuary in Ahmedabad, where Khushboo Rajpurohit's family gathered to reclaim her mortal remains, three days after the catastrophic Air India crash that left all but one of the 242 passengers dead. Her uncle, Kishore Rajpurohit, had been waiting outside the complex since early morning. A government official had called the family to confirm the unimaginable: that Khushboo, a 21-year-old newlywed on her way to begin married life in London, had been identified through DNA testing. 'She got married on 17 January this year and was awaiting visa clearance to travel to London and live with her husband,' Mr Rajpurohit told The Independent. Her father had gone to see her off at the airport. 'He waited till she boarded and had not even crossed Mehsana when we learnt of the crash.' The final confirmation came on Sunday morning when a government-appointed nodal officer informed the family that the DNA results had matched. Around 10am, they assembled outside the mortuary, holding on to each other for comfort as they waited for the formalities to conclude. A few hours later, Khushboo's coffin was carefully loaded into an ambulance to be taken to her hometown of Jodhpur, in Rajasthan, accompanied by a police escort and an Air India vehicle. 'It will be handed over to the family with full honour,' Mr Rajpurohit said. Khushboo's was one of the 14 bodies handed over on Sunday, according to hospital officials. The identification process has been painstaking and slow, as most victims were severely dismembered in the explosion. Dr Rajnish Patel, Additional Superintendent of the Civil Hospital, revealed that another body was recovered only on Saturday from the tail of the aircraft. The London-bound Boeing 787 struck a medical college hostel in a residential area of the northwestern city of Ahmedabad minutes after takeoff on Thursday, killing 241 people on board and at least 29 on the ground. One passenger survived. Hundreds of relatives of the crash victims provided DNA samples at the hospital. Most of the bodies were charred or mutilated, making them unrecognizable. Of the many challenges faced by officials, the most sensitive has been piecing together the remains. A senior hospital official involved in the identification process told The Independent that the remains have to be 'identified accurately and stitched together... We have to honour the dead'. DNA matching, he added, takes between 48 to 72 hours per victim. At least 32 complete matches had been achieved so far, with more underway, said Dr Patel. Among those whose DNA match is confirmed includes former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani. Outside the hospital, a line of ambulances stood ready. Mahindra Singh, an ambulance driver from Kheda, a city in Gujarat, said he had been stationed there since Saturday morning. 'We've been told to carry two bodies. Once the call comes, we leave. We're not allowed to contact the families – only the nodal officers inform them.' From Kutch, Bharat Godia had arrived with a fleet of five ambulances. 'We were ordered by the district administration to collect the bodies. Government officials will accompany them,' he said. At the Panchal house in Baroda, it was a call no one wanted to receive – certainly not at 12.30am. Shashi Panchal's phone rang on Saturday night, bringing with it the final confirmation he had dreaded: the bodies of his elder brother, Narendra Panchal, and sister-in-law, Usha Panchal, had been identified through DNA testing. The couple were among the 241 victims of the Air India crash that has devastated families across India and beyond. They were on their first trip to London to visit their only son, who is studying for a law degree in the UK. 'My nephew was supposed to come back in September,' said Mr Panchal, speaking outside Ahmedabad's Civil Hospital on Sunday. 'But my brother had suggested they visit him instead, and all three could return together.' Mr Panchal, who had travelled from Baroda overnight, admitted the confirmation came as a crushing shock. 'Actually, I didn't even know they were on that flight,' he said. 'When I heard what had happened … I can't even begin to describe what was going through my mind. It was a very difficult time.' He had been told to arrive at the hospital by noon, but delays in the formalities meant he had yet to see the mortal remains when The Independent spoke with him. Even so, he expressed gratitude for how the process had been managed. 'The services have been good, the arrangements too. Whatever had to happen, has happened,' he said. But no sense of order can fill the space left behind by the dead. When asked whether he sought an investigation into the tragedy, Mr Panchal said, 'I just want to make sure something like this never happens again. The government and all the authorities must ensure that.' 'Because no matter how good the services are, they won't bring back my brother and sister-in-law,' he added. Alongside the formal investigation, the Indian government has set up a high-level committee to examine the causes leading to the crash. The committee will focus on formulating procedures to prevent and handle aircraft emergencies in the future, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a statement Saturday. Authorities have also begun inspecting Air India's entire fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners, Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said on Saturday in capital Delhi at his first news briefing since Thursday's crash. Eight of the 34 Dreamliners in India have already undergone inspection, Mr Kinjarapu said, adding that the remaining aircraft will be examined with 'immediate urgency.' Investigators on Friday recovered the plane's digital flight data recorder, or the black box, from a rooftop near the crash site. The device is expected to reveal information about the engine and control settings, while the voice recorder will provide cockpit conversations, said Paul Fromme, a mechanical engineer with the UK-based Institution of Mechanical Engineers. The plane that crashed was 12 years old. Boeing planes have been plagued by safety issues on other types of aircraft. There are currently around 1,200 of the 787 Dreamliner aircraft worldwide and this was the first deadly crash in 16 years of operation, according to experts.
