‘I saw people dying in front of my eyes' – lone Air India plane crash survivor
The British survivor of the Air India plane crash has spoken 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 Boeing 787 Dreamliner struck a medical college as it crashed in a fireball on Thursday, killing the other 241 people on board.
It is one of the deadliest plane crashes in terms of the number of British nationals killed, and the first involving a 787.
Speaking to DD News about the crash, Mr Ramesh said: 'I can't believe how I came out of it alive.
'For a moment, I felt like I was going to die too.
'But when I opened my eyes and looked around, I realised I was alive.
'I still can't believe how I survived.'
Mr Ramesh was in seat 11A, next to one of the aircraft's emergency exits.
Addressing what happened before the incident, Mr Ramesh told the broadcaster: '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.'
He added: '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.'
Commenting on his survival, Mr Ramesh said: 'I don't know how I survived.
'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 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.
Investigations are continuing into the cause of the crash.
At least five medical students were killed and about 50 injured.
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'.
Tributes have also been paid to Akeel Nanabawa, his wife Hannaa and their four-year-old daughter Sara who were reportedly among the victims.
Imam Abdullah, who spoke on behalf of their family, said: 'We are heartbroken as we await further information regarding our beloved family members who were on board the Air India flight from Ahmedabad to Gatwick.
'The news of this tragic incident has left us devastated, and we are still coming to terms with the enormity of what has happened.'
Raj Mishra, the mayor of Wellingborough in Northamptonshire, called for people to come together as he announced the deaths of 'Raxa Modha, infant Rudra Modha, and Ms K Mistri' in his constituency.
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.
Images taken after the incident showed part of the plane embedded in the BJ Medical College building.
At least five medical students were killed and about 50 injured.
Air India chief executive Campbell Wilson visited the area, according to the BBC, but did not take questions from media.
An Air India flight that was scheduled to depart from Gatwick to Ahmedabad on Friday at 8.30pm has been cancelled.
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.
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 were also heading to India with support from Boeing and GE Aerospace.
He told reporters it was 'way too premature' to ground Boeing 787s in the aftermath of the crash.
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.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
I'm a gardening pro – my easy steps – including a £2.25 Dunelm trick – will banish garden pests like aphids this summer
WE may well be seeing lower slug and snail numbers this summer thanks to colder weather in winter and the recent dry spells. But mother nature never makes it easy for us. Instead - of course - there's a new pest in town. 2 Aphid levels have rocketed this year - and the RHS reckons it's top of the list of gardening queries to their hotline. There's over 500 different species found in the UK - and can be red, yellow, black, green, brown or pink. They feed by sucking sap from plants - and can cause severe damage - including distorted growth, sooty mould and plant viruses - and sometimes plant death. Chelsea award winning gardener Adam Woolcott - and Webb ambassador - gave Sun Gardening some top tips on how to tackle the most common early summer pests. APHIDS Physically remove the aphids from the stems and leaves. Use natural insecticidal soaps. Blast off with water jets. Encourage predators such as ladybirds, lacewings, and hoverflies VINE WEEVIL Both the adult vine weevil beetles and their larvae cause damage. Adults — all female — chew distinctive 'U-shaped' notches in leaves, particularly on evergreen shrubs like rhododendrons, escallonias, and viburnums. Underground: larvae feed on plant roots and can kill container plants like Heucheras. Remove adults at night when they're most active Break the life cycle with biological controls such as nematodes (apply in spring and autumn when grubs are active) Chemical treatments are a last resort, but offer longer-term control LILY BEETLE The bright red beetles and their larvae are both covered in their excrement. They can strip a plant in days, affecting flowering and bulb health. Remove beetles by hand where practical Encourage wildlife into the garden. Birds and ground beetles will eat the larvae Grow a resistant variety. Tolerate some damage if you can — total eradication isn't always necessary. CATERPILLARS Especially troublesome in veg patches. Cabbage white butterfly caterpillars love brassicas, while box tree caterpillars are spreading rapidly across the UK, stripping foliage as they go. Remove the caterpillars by hand if you can and destroy any badly affected plants (if practical) to stop the infestation from spreading. Use biological sprays like nematodes. In some cases, hot water and a mild detergent can help. Ecover is on sale at Dunelm for £2.45. As a last resort, chemical controls can be effective Also in Veronica's Column this week... Top tips, Gardening news, and a competition to win a £250 lawnmower NEWS KING Charles made a surprise visit to Windsor Flower Show last Saturday. Celebrities including Alex Jones and Kirsty Gallacher were at the one-day show - which had wonderful village fair vibes, vegetable and cake competitions and fantastic floral displays. TOP TIP JUNE is actually a good time to take Hydrangea cuttings - and get your own plants for free. They'll have produced some soft green growth - which is what you want. Choose healthy, non flowering shoots that are 10-15cm long and cut just below the node (the leaf joint). Don't collect cuttings from plants with leaves that are turning brown. And try to collect in the morning if you can. Remove the lower leaves - leaving just one or two at the top. Then dip the end in rooting powder or gel - then pop it straight in a pot. You could splash out on seeding and cutting compost - but multi purpose will do - just add a bit of grit or perlite. Then keep them out of direct sunlight and keep moist. They should have rooted within about a month. NEWS A RARE 'sheep-eating' South American plant has flowered in an English primary school for the first time. The Puya Chilensis, with its iconic spike pattern, is normally found in the Andes in Chile. But after it was planted 10 years ago by school horticulturalist Louise Moreton, it has sent out a 10ft spike at Wicor Primary School in Portchester, Hants. It's called a Sheep Catcher as it would normally entangle wildlife, hold onto it - and then when the animal died - would take the nutrients. Ms Moreton said it was exciting but a worrying sign of global warming. WIN! Keep your lawn looking its best this summer by winning a Webb Classic Self Propelled Petrol Lawn Mower worth £249.99. To enter visit or write to Sun Webb competition, PO Box 3190, Colchester, Essex, CO2 8GP. Include your name, age, email or phone. UK residents 18+ only. Entries close 11.59pm. July 5, 2025. T&Cs apply. TOP TIP IF you want to get more flowers from your sedums (now called Hylotelephiums) and prevent them from collapsing - pinch them out around now. Pinch off around four sets of leaves down - which will make them bushier. JOB OF THE WEEK Weeds thrive this month - keep on top of them by hoeing. Tie in sweet peas, and give your plants a good feed - liquid seaweed feed is great - and Tomorite works with nearly everything. Give agapanthus a high-potash feed every couple of weeks. For more top tips and gardening news, follow me @biros_and_bloom
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
‘My grandson was burnt alive': Grief engulfs neighbourhood where Air India crash killed dozens on the ground
Grief hangs heavy in Meghani Nagar in Ahmedabad, as the wreckage of a London‑bound Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner lies smouldering in the compound of BJ Medical College. The devastating crash – which took place around 2pm local time on Thursday – left emergency services scrambling amid thick plumes of smoke and debris, entire streets in shock and families shattered. All but one of the 242 people on board the flight were killed, but there were dozens more fatalities on the ground as the plane came down in a residential area. Among those devastated by the unfathomable tragedy is the Patni family. Seventy-year-old Babibehen Babu Bhai Patni sits on the gritty communal floor of her residential society, utterly inconsolable. Click here for the latest updates on the crash She mourns her 12-year-old grandson Akash, whose life was tragically cut short, while her son and daughter‑in‑law suffered grievous injuries. The young boy was accompanying his mother, Sitabehen Patni, when he fell asleep beneath a tree near their tea stall on the college grounds. Moments later, the aircraft hurtled from the sky, engulfing him in a fatal fire. 'All that remains of him is his burnt body, almost looking like a piece of ash,' Babibehen says, her voice choked with agony. 'My daughter… her arm, her leg, all burnt. She is serious and in ICU. My son is also burnt. Nothing of my grandson's is left. What will I do? Is this even his age to die?' Her grief is unfiltered, raw, and unrelenting as she wails loudly, surrounded by the women of her community. The body of Akash remains at the hospital in Ahmedabad, awaiting identification and release to his family – a cruel limbo that amplifies her sorrow. Outside the Civil Hospital, 24‑year‑old Kajal Patni – Akash's grief-struck elder sister – waits in the oppressive sun as she retraces the final moments of her brother's life 'He had gone to get lunch for my parents at around 2pm,' she explains. 'Mum had come home for a quick shower, so he took a nap waiting for her. She was almost back when the crash happened. A deafening explosion was followed by wisps of dark smoke. When she ran towards him, everything was pitch‑black. Tears stream down her face. 'The authorities haven't told me when I will see his body. I just want my brother… I feel restless, suffocated, like I cannot breathe. Both my children used to play around him. What will I tell them?' This grief is not contained within hospital walls; it spills across the campus grounds, amplified by cellphone videos circulating of Akash's charred, unidentifiable remains lying in the rubble. Inside the medical college hostel kitchen, 30‑year‑old Shahana Khatoon was cleaning pots when the calamity struck. 'I heard a huge explosion,' she recalls, eyes distant. 'Suddenly, everything went black – from the dense smoke. At first, I thought it was a big storm. But then people started yelling, 'A plane has crashed! Run!' Debris and dust filled the air. I was terrified.' She and a colleague attempted to flee, aided by two boys eating at a café nearby. 'They saved us, but both were injured in the melee,' she says, referring to the chaos left in the wake of the crash. Now, Khatoon anxiously awaits news of her missing co‑worker and the woman's two-year-old granddaughter, Adiya. 'Their bodies haven't been found,' she says, voice quivering. 'We're still looking for them.' Her husband, Kurban Ali, 35, rushed to the site fearing for his wife and daughter's lives. 'I was frantic,' he says. 'Police wouldn't let me in. My wife and daughter returned about four hours later – thankfully okay –but those hours were quite painful for me. I did not know whether they were dead or alive.' 'It was at least an hour after the incident, that my wife managed to contact me and tell that she was safe,' he says, standing outside his society. Footage recorded by residents captured the scene: thick black smoke swallowed hundreds of metres of the campus, as survivors frantically tried to escape the blast zone. From his sixth-floor kitchen window, 38‑year‑old Arunbhai Mangal Bhai Parmar witnessed the horrifying descent of the aircraft. 'It was flying straight, then suddenly just stopped –parked in the air – and plunged,' he says, mimicking its sudden drop. 'Then came the blast.' He tried to assist but was thwarted by fire and security barriers, he says. 'The rescue work could only begin once the fire brigade arrived – about 30 minutes later. Even then, I could do nothing; police had already blocked access.' Surrounding streets were thrown into pandemonium. Just next door, 55‑year‑old Suresh Bhai was tending to his sewing shop when he heard the tremendous impact. 'At first, we thought it was a bomb. There was a massive plume of smoke, and we were terrified there might be another explosion,' he recalls. 'At first we thought it was an attack or something. There was a lot of chaos. Everyone started rushing down. Firefighters came in soon. We were all scared that what if it is a bomb blast and feared there might be another." In the hours that followed the crash, debris lay strewn across the campus compound. Initial images show a jagged section of fuselage embedded in the college building. At least five medical students enrolled at BJ Medical College died, and around fifty others were injured. The charred remains of the building where the jet had smashed remain ominously blackened. The impact of the plane crash could also be seen outside the post-mortem office of Civil Hospital, located about a kilometre from the impact site. The air was thick with the smell of burnt bodies, with officials, civilians and media personnel roaming around with their faces covered with masks. Hundreds of relatives gathered outside sat inert, their expressions vacant with loss and uncertainty. Some waited for the bodies of loved ones, others held on to a flicker of hope, as ambulances arrived in quick succession. Security forces – police, CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force), NSG (National Security Guard) and NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) – were rapidly deployed after the crash, and the government swiftly imposed strict information controls. Air India's parent company, the Tata Group, has pledged Rs10m – roughly £86,000 –to the next of kin of each victim. They will also cover medical expenses of the injured and assist in rebuilding parts of the college. But as yet, the final death toll from the ground has yet to be confirmed. Officials on condition of anonymity told The Independent that at least seven bodies have been released to families after post‑mortem checks and DNA tests. A senior hospital official said: 'They have instructed us not to release the death toll for another two days, until all bodies are identified.'
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Aussie cricket star David Warner has vowed to NEVER fly with Air India again after plane crash disaster
Former Australian cricketer David Warner has vowed to never fly Air India against after the recent plane crash disaster that killed 274 people. On June 12, Air India Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner enroute from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed shortly after takeoff, resulting in 274 fatalities, including 241 onboard and 33 on the ground. The aircraft lost stability at approximately 625 feet altitude and descended rapidly within a minute of departure, crashing into the hostel block of B.J. Medical College in the Meghaninagar area of Ahmedabad. The sole survivor, 40-year-old British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, was seated in seat 11A near an emergency exit and managed to escape the wreckage with injuries. Investigations are ongoing, with both black boxes recovered, one of which sustained minor damage. Preliminary reports suggest potential mechanical failures, with the aircraft's landing gear possibly still deployed during takeoff. Warner, who recently returned to Pakistan for the completion of the PSL, shared an alleged account from an ex-Air India crew person named Vivek that had been posted to social media. 'Hey! I'm an ex air india crew and this was a frequent aircraft that I'd fly,' the original post read. 'This aircraft has had issues for YEARS. Literally years. 'The crew, pilots, engineers, literally everyone has always mentioned about it in the log book. 'But the company didn't have a spare Dreamliner for their most precious Gatwick sector. Which is why we were always made to fly this aircraft. 'I've myself had an engine failure on this aircraft. Thankfully we landed back safely. 'It was a similar case where we took off and immediately landed back without being in air for even 30 mins. 'Here, no staff but solely the company is at fault. But the company won't let any staff talk about it on a public channel. They'd rather blame the staff and not take accountability.' Warner has had issues with Air India before, posting this complaint to social media in March Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting the information in this post is factual or that Air India is at fault for the tragedy. India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation has ordered enhanced maintenance checks on Air India's Boeing 787 fleet. However Warner shared the post with the caption: 'If this is true it's absolutely shocking. Thoughts go out to all the families.' He tagged the post with @airindia and also wrote that he would not continue to fly with the Indian airline. 'I would never fly @airindia ever again after this and my last interaction with them,' Warner posted. The previous incident Warner is referring to happened in March, when he and hundreds of other passengers were forced to wait in an Air India plane that did not have any pilots. 'We've boarded an aircraft without any pilots and have been waiting for hours. Given that you don't have any pilots for the aircraft, why would you still board passengers? Warner posted to X at the time. Air India addressed the issue in a social media response at the time. Ambulances are seen parked near the post-mortem room at a hospital before transferring victims' dead bodies to a mortuary in Ahmedabad 'Departure was delayed because the crew running your flight was delayed on a previous assignment that was impacted by these problems. Thank you for choosing to fly with us, and we appreciate your patience,' Air India said on X. Warner also shared footage of United States Senator Josh Hawley who recently grilled the Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun over 737 safety hazards. '@Boeing another plane gone down. Innocent lives lost, sack people to make profit for their executives. Disgraceful,' Warner posted as the caption. Air India is co-operating with authorities in the wake of the tragedy. 'Air India offers its deepest condolences to the families of the deceased. Our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of all those affected, their families and loved ones,' it said in a statement. 'A team of caregivers from Air India is now in Ahmedabad to provide additional support. Air India is giving its full cooperation to the authorities investigating this incident.' In a separate statement, Boeing said: 'We are in contact with Air India regarding Flight 171 and stand ready to support them. Our thoughts are with the passengers, crew, first responders and all affected.' Warner became one of the most successful overseas players in history in the Indian Premier League and is a local favourite. UPDATE: Air India confirms that flight AI171, operating from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick on 12 June 2025, was involved in an accident. The 12-year-old Boeing 787-8 aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 1338 hrs, carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew. The aircraft crashed shortly… — Air India (@airindia) June 12, 2025 A statement from Boeing President and CEO Kelly Ortberg on Air India Flight 171. Full statement: — Boeing Airplanes (@BoeingAirplanes) June 12, 2025 Over 176 matches, he scored 6397 runs at an average of 41.54 and a strike rate of 139.91. He notched up four centuries and 61 fifties, and claimed the Orange Cap as the league's leading running scorer three times - in 2015, 2017 and 2019. Warner also captained Sunrisers Hyderabad to their only IPL title in 2016. The left-hander is also the fourth highest run-scorer in the league's history, behind only Indian legends Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Warner went unsold in the most recent IPL auction and played in the Pakistan Super League instead. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the disaster was devastating.
