Latest news with #Valgi
13 hours ago
- General
'I stood up and ran': Miraculous survival of Air India passenger with 241 confirmed deaths
Air India confirmed Ramesh Viswashkumar is the lone survivor out of the 242 people aboard an Air India plane that crashed in Ahmedabad (new window) soon after takeoff on Thursday. He had been sitting near an emergency exit of the London-bound flight and managed to jump out, police said. Speaking from his hospital bed, the 40-year-old told Indian media that he was a British national, and was travelling back home with his brother after visiting family in India. 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, Viswashkumar told the Hindustan Times. Rescue personnel stand next to the wreckage of the Air India plane, which was bound for London's Gatwick Airport. Photo: Associated Press / Ajit Solanki Social media footage shown on Indian news channels showed a man in a bloodstained white T-shirt and dark pants limping on a street and being helped by a medic. The man had bruises on his face and a goatee beard, resembling photographs of Viswashkumar in hospital after the crash that were published by local media. Reuters could not immediately verify the video, in which people gathered around the man and asked him where the other passengers were, to which he replied they're all inside. A photo of Viswashkumar's boarding pass shown online by the Hindustan Times showed that he was seated in seat 11A of the plane bound for London's Gatwick Airport. He told the paper his brother, Ajay, had been seated in a different row on the plane and asked for help to find him. A member of Viswashkumar's family based in Britain, who requested anonymity, told Reuters over the phone that he had survived and that the family was in touch with him, but declined to share further details. Ajay Valgi, a cousin of Viswashkumar who lives in Leicester, central England, told the BBC that Viswashkumar spoke by phone to confirm he was all right. He only said that he was fine, nothing else, Valgi said. Valgi said the family had not heard anything about his brother. We're not doing well. We're all upset, he said. Viswashkumar is married with one child, a boy, he added. The aircraft came down in a residential area of Ahmedabad, in northwestern India, crashing into a medical college hostel outside the airport during lunchtime — the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. Air India posted to X, confirming the deaths of 229 passengers and all 12 crew members, with the lone survivor being treated in hospital. VideoCanadian aboard Air India crash identified (new window) VideoCrews respond to Air India crash (new window) Thomson Reuters
Ya Libnan
a day ago
- General
- Ya Libnan
Air India crash: The only survivor jumped out of emergency exit, police say
A tail of an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane that crashed is seen stuck on a building after the incident in Ahmedabad, India, June 12, 2025. REUTERS/Amit Dave A photo of Viswashkumar's boarding pass shown online by the Hindustan Times showed that he was seated in seat 11A of the plane bound for Gatwick Airport. Ramesh Viswashkumar, the only known survivor out of the 242 people onboard an Air India plane that crashed in Ahmedabad on Thursday, had been sitting near an emergency exit of the London-bound flight and managed to jump out, police said. Speaking from his hospital bed, the 40-year-old told Indian media that he was a British national and was traveling to Britain with his brother after visiting family in India. '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,' Viswashkumar told the Hindustan Times. It was not clear whether Viswashkumar managed to jump out before the plane made impact. Social media footage shown on Indian news channels showed a man in a bloodstained white t-shirt and dark pants limping on a street and being helped by a medic. The man had bruises on his face and a goatee beard, resembling photographs of Viswashkumar in hospital after the crash that were published by local media. Reuters could not immediately verify the video, in which people gathered around the man and asked him where were the other passengers, to which he replied 'they're all inside'. A photo of Viswashkumar's boarding pass shown online by the Hindustan Times showed that he was seated in seat 11A of the plane bound for Gatwick Airport. He told the paper his brother Ajay had been seated in a different row on the plane and asked for help to find him. 'He was near the emergency exit and managed to escape by jumping out the emergency door,' said Vidhi Chaudhary, a senior police officer in Ahmedabad, speaking about Viswashkumar. A member of Viswashkumar's family based in Britain, who requested anonymity, told Reuters over the phone that he had survived and that the family was in touch with him, but declined to share further details. Ajay Valgi, a cousin of Viswashkumar who lives in Leicester, central England, told the BBC that Viswashkumar spoke by phone to confirm he was all right. 'He only said that he was fine, nothing else,' Valgi said. Valgi said the family had not heard anything about his brother. 'We're not doing well. We're all upset,' he said. Viswashkumar is married with one child, a boy, he added. The aircraft came down in a residential area, crashing into a medical college hostel outside the airport during lunch time, in the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. More than 240 people were killed in the crash. The dead included some on the ground. Police said a previously shared death toll of 294 was wrong due to some double-counted body parts. Police said Viswashkumar was the sole passenger known so far to have survived but added that rescue operations were still ongoing. 'Chances are that there might be more survivors among the injured who are being treated in the hospital,' Chaudhary said. Reuters
Daily Maverick
a day ago
- General
- Daily Maverick
Survivor of Air India crash jumped out of emergency exit, say police
More than 240 people were killed in the crash. The dead included some on the ground. Police said a previously shared death toll of 294 was wrong due to some double-counted body parts. Ramesh Viswashkumar, the only known survivor out of the 242 people onboard an Air India plane that crashed in Ahmedabad on Thursday, had been sitting near an emergency exit of the London-bound flight and managed to jump out, said police. Speaking from his hospital bed, the 40-year-old told Indian media that he was a British national and was travelling to Britain with his brother after visiting family in India. '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,' Viswashkumar told the Hindustan Times. It was not clear whether Viswashkumar managed to jump out before the plane made impact. Social media footage shown on Indian news channels showed a man in a bloodstained white T-shirt and dark pants limping on a street and being helped by a medic. The man had bruises on his face and a goatee beard, resembling photographs of Viswashkumar in hospital after the crash that were published by local media. Reuters could not immediately verify the video, in which people gathered around the man and asked him where the other passengers were, to which he replied, 'They're all inside.' A photo of Viswashkumar's boarding pass, shown online by the Hindustan Times, showed that he was seated in seat 11A of the plane bound for Gatwick Airport. He told the paper his brother Ajay had been seated in a different row on the plane and asked for help to find him. 'He was near the emergency exit and managed to escape by jumping out the emergency door,' said Vidhi Chaudhary, a senior police officer in Ahmedabad, speaking about Viswashkumar. A member of Viswashkumar's family based in Britain, who requested anonymity, told Reuters over the phone that he had survived and that the family was in touch with him, but declined to share further details. Ajay Valgi, a cousin of Viswashkumar who lives in Leicester, central England, told the BBC that Viswashkumar spoke by phone to confirm he was all right. 'He only said that he was fine, nothing else,' said Valgi. Valgi said the family had not heard anything about his brother. 'We're not doing well. We're all upset,' he said. Viswashkumar is married with one child, a boy, he added. The aircraft came down in a residential area, crashing into a medical college hostel outside the airport during lunchtime, in the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. More than 240 people were killed in the crash. The dead included some on the ground. Police said a previously shared death toll of 294 was wrong due to some double-counted body parts. Police said Viswashkumar was the sole passenger known so far to have survived but added that rescue operations were still ongoing.
AsiaOne
a day ago
- General
- AsiaOne
'I was scared. I stood up and ran': Sole survivor of Air India crash reportedly jumped out of emergency exit, Asia News
NEW DELHI - Ramesh Viswashkumar, the only known survivor out of the 242 people onboard an Air India plane that crashed in Ahmedabad on Thursday, had been sitting near an emergency exit of the London-bound flight and managed to jump out, police said. Speaking from his hospital bed, the 40-year-old told Indian media that he was a British national and was travelling to Britain with his brother after visiting family in India. "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," Viswashkumar told the Hindustan Times. It was not clear whether Viswashkumar managed to jump out before the plane made impact. Social media footage shown on Indian news channels showed a man in a bloodstained white t-shirt and dark pants limping on a street and being helped by a medic. The man had bruises on his face and a goatee beard, resembling photographs of Viswashkumar in hospital after the crash that were published by local media. Reuters could not immediately verify the video, in which people gathered around the man and asked him where were the other passengers, to which he replied "they're all inside". [[nid:719019]] A photo of Viswashkumar's boarding pass shown online by the Hindustan Times showed that he was seated in seat 11A of the plane bound for Gatwick Airport. He told the paper his brother Ajay had been seated in a different row on the plane and asked for help to find him. "He was near the emergency exit and managed to escape by jumping out the emergency door," said Vidhi Chaudhary, a senior police officer in Ahmedabad, speaking about Viswashkumar. View this post on Instagram A post shared by AsiaOne (@asiaonecom) A member of Viswashkumar's family based in Britain, who requested anonymity, told Reuters over the phone that he had survived and that the family was in touch with him, but declined to share further details. Ajay Valgi, a cousin of Viswashkumar who lives in Leicester, central England, told the BBC that Viswashkumar spoke by phone to confirm he was all right. "He only said that he was fine, nothing else," Valgi said. Valgi said the family had not heard anything about his brother. "We're not doing well. We're all upset," he said. Viswashkumar is married with one child, a boy, he added. The aircraft came down in a residential area, crashing into a medical college hostel outside the airport during lunch time, in the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. More than 240 people were killed in the crash. The dead included some on the ground. Police said a previously shared death toll of 294 was wrong due to some double-counted body parts. Police said Viswashkumar was the sole passenger known so far to have survived but added that rescue operations were still ongoing. "Chances are that there might be more survivors among the injured who are being treated in the hospital," Chaudhary said. [[nid:719020]]
AsiaOne
a day ago
- General
- AsiaOne
'I was scared. I stood up and ran': Survivor of Air India crash reportedly jumped out of emergency exit, Asia News
NEW DELHI - Ramesh Viswashkumar, the only known survivor out of the 242 people onboard an Air India plane that crashed in Ahmedabad on Thursday, had been sitting near an emergency exit of the London-bound flight and managed to jump out, police said. Speaking from his hospital bed, the 40-year-old told Indian media that he was a British national and was travelling to Britain with his brother after visiting family in India. "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," Viswashkumar told the Hindustan Times. It was not clear whether Viswashkumar managed to jump out before the plane made impact. Social media footage shown on Indian news channels showed a man in a bloodstained white t-shirt and dark pants limping on a street and being helped by a medic. The man had bruises on his face and a goatee beard, resembling photographs of Viswashkumar in hospital after the crash that were published by local media. Reuters could not immediately verify the video, in which people gathered around the man and asked him where were the other passengers, to which he replied "they're all inside". [[nid:719019]] A photo of Viswashkumar's boarding pass shown online by the Hindustan Times showed that he was seated in seat 11A of the plane bound for Gatwick Airport. He told the paper his brother Ajay had been seated in a different row on the plane and asked for help to find him. "He was near the emergency exit and managed to escape by jumping out the emergency door," said Vidhi Chaudhary, a senior police officer in Ahmedabad, speaking about Viswashkumar. A member of Viswashkumar's family based in Britain, who requested anonymity, told Reuters over the phone that he had survived and that the family was in touch with him, but declined to share further details. Ajay Valgi, a cousin of Viswashkumar who lives in Leicester, central England, told the BBC that Viswashkumar spoke by phone to confirm he was all right. "He only said that he was fine, nothing else," Valgi said. Valgi said the family had not heard anything about his brother. "We're not doing well. We're all upset," he said. Viswashkumar is married with one child, a boy, he added. The aircraft came down in a residential area, crashing into a medical college hostel outside the airport during lunch time, in the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. More than 240 people were killed in the crash. The dead included some on the ground. Police said a previously shared death toll of 294 was wrong due to some double-counted body parts. Police said Viswashkumar was the sole passenger known so far to have survived but added that rescue operations were still ongoing. "Chances are that there might be more survivors among the injured who are being treated in the hospital," Chaudhary said. [[nid:719020]]
