Latest news with #medicalcollege
Reuters
4 hours ago
- General
- Reuters
At least 270 bodies recovered from Air India crash site, hospital official says
AHMEDABAD, India, June 14 (Reuters) - At least 270 bodies have been recovered after a London-bound Air India plane crashed into a medical college hostel in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad this week, a hospital official told reporters on Saturday. The Boeing (BA.N), opens new tab 787-8 Dreamliner with 242 people on board bound for Gatwick Airport on Thursday began losing height moments after take-off and erupted in a fireball as it hit buildings below.
NHK
9 hours ago
- Politics
- NHK
Indian Prime Minister Modi visits sole survivor of Air India crash
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited the site of Thursday's deadly plane crash. He met on Friday with the sole survivor of the Air India jet bound for London with 242 people on board. Viswashkumar Ramesh is a British national of Indian origin. He told local media that he thought he was going to die. He said: "I don't know about the other part of the plane, but where I landed was on the ground. I could see that there was space outside the plane, so when my door broke I tried to escape through a little space, and I did." The plane crashed into the dormitory of a medical college. The AP quotes a source as saying at least five people were killed on the ground and about 50 injured. Many others might still be buried under the debris. Indian Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said on social media on Friday that investigators have recovered the plane's black box. He said it is an "important step forward" and will "significantly aid" the probe. The plane was a 787 Dreamliner manufactured by Boeing. The company says it "stands ready" to support the investigation. The US National Transportation Safety Board is also sending a team of investigators to India to assist with the probe.
Irish Times
a day ago
- General
- Irish Times
India plane crash: lone survivor ‘saw people dying in front of my eyes'
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. Mr Ramesh (40) 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. READ MORE It is one of the deadliest plane crashes in terms of the number of British nationals killed, and the first involving a 787. Indian home affairs minister Amit Shah meets Vishwash Kumar Ramesh. Photograph: PA 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. – PA
CBC
a day ago
- General
- CBC
Investigators search Air India crash site for evidence and more victims
Investigators searched the site of one of India's worst aviation disasters, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with the lone surviving passenger Friday a day after an Air India plane split apart and fell from the sky, killing 241 people on board and several people on the ground. The London-bound Boeing 787 struck a medical college hostel when it fell in a residential area of the northwestern city of Ahmedabad minutes after takeoff Thursday. DNA testing was being conducted to identify bodies that were mostly charred beyond recognition. More victims are expected to be found in the search at the crash site. There was no information on whether the black boxes — the flight data and cockpit voice recorders — had been recovered. The plane hit a building hosting a medical college hostel and burst into flames, killing several college students on the ground. Black smoke billowed from the site where the plane crashed near the airport in Ahmedabad, a city of more than 5 million and the capital of Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state. "We are all devastated by the air tragedy in Ahmedabad. The loss of so many lives in such a sudden and heartbreaking manner is beyond words," Modi said on social media after visiting the site. "We understand their pain and also know that the void left behind will be felt for years to come." Modi meets lone survivor The survivor was seen in television footage meeting Modi at the government hospital where he was being treated for burns and other injuries. Viswashkumar Ramesh told India's national broadcaster he still can't believe he was alive. He said the aircraft seemed to become stuck immediately after takeoff. He said then the lights came on, and right after that it accelerated but seemed unable to gain height before it crashed. WATCH | Lone survivor walked from site to ambulance: Sole survivor walks away after fiery Air India crash kills hundreds 8 hours ago Duration 3:30 A fiery plane crash in western India has left a single surviving passenger, a British national, who reportedly walked from the site to an ambulance. The London-bound Air India Boeing 787 went down just after takeoff with 242 people aboard, including at least one Canadian. He said the side of the plane where he was seated fell onto the ground floor of a building and there was space for him to escape after the door broke open. He unfastened his seat belt and forced himself out of the plane. "When I opened my eyes, I realized I was alive," he said. Investigation into the cause and identification of victims India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is investigating, and the U.S. participants in the probe are expected to include people from the National Transportation Safety Board, Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing and General Electric. Medics are conducting DNA tests to identify those killed, the president of the Federation of All India Medical Association, Akshay Dongardiv, said. Meanwhile, grieving families gathered outside the Civil hospital in Ahmedabad on Friday. Two doctors at the hospital said the bodies of four medical students killed on the ground after the plane crash were handed to their families. They said at least 30 other injured students were still admitted in the hospital and at least four of them were critical. Modi is scheduled to hold a meeting with senior officials later Friday. He also met some of those injured on the ground during the hospital visit. WATCH | 1st crash involving Boeing 787 Dreamliner: Boeing to support India's crash investigation, the 1st involving a 787 Dreamliner 6 hours ago Duration 1:56 Boeing has pledged to support the India-led investigation into the deadly air disaster in Ahmedabad — the first involving a 787 Dreamliner. Boeing has previously faced tough questions over several crashes and incidents involving its 737 Max aircraft. Thursday's Air India crash involved a 12-year-old Boeing 787. Boeing planes have been plagued by safety issues on other types of aircraft. According to experts, there are currently around 1,200 of the 787 Dreamliner aircraft worldwide, and this was the first deadly crash in 16 years of operation. Eyewitness accounts describe damage Residents living in the vicinity, who were among the first to rush to the crash site and help with rescue, described the scale of damage like they had never seen. "In the beginning, I couldn't understand anything, it was only smoke everywhere. We could see some small parts (of the plane) burning," Indrajeet Singh Solanki said. Solanki said he and many others helped the injured people and rushed them to hospitals. "We had only one aim - to save lives no matter what happens," he said. The tragedy has left him shaken. "It will be hard to sleep for the next few days at least," Solanki said.
The Independent
2 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Terrified students leap from windows to save themselves after Air India flight crashes into medical hostel
Terrified students leapt from windows to 'save themselves' after the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, carrying 242 people, crashed onto a medical college campus just minutes after take-off in Ahmedabad. Shocking video footage shows the Gatwick-bound Air India flight 171 taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport before appearing to lose power and coming down on a residential area called Meghani Nagar at 1.40pm local time. So far more than 290 people have reportedly been killed - both passengers on the plane and victims on the ground. On hitting the state-run BJ Medical College five-storey hostel, the aircraft exploded into a fireball that could be seen for miles around - as students inside the concrete building tried desperately to escape the devastation. In a canteen on the campus, medical students were on a lunch break when the aircraft landed on the now-destroyed building. A mother called Rami told Indian network ANI that her son suffered injuries while jumping from the second floor. 'My son had gone to the hostel during lunch break, and the plane crashed there,' she said. 'My son is safe, and I have spoken to him. He jumped from the second floor, so he suffered some injuries.' Another eyewitness said people jumped from as high as the third floor to 'save themselves', said one unnamed resident. They told AFP: 'Our office is near the building where the plane crashed. We saw people from the building jumping from the second and third floor to save themselves. The plane was in flames.' Ayush, a resident doctor at Ahmedabad's Civil Hospital, located close to the hostel, told the Hindustan Times that the crash sparked chaos. 'Our friends and juniors have been seriously injured and are being treated now.' Up to 200 people were in the campus on lunch when the aircraft came down, a postgraduate student claimed. Local officers said five medical students were killed, while almost 40 were injured, including one student described as being in a critical condition in hospital. Images of the aftermath, shared on social media, revealed the plane's tail protruding from the damaged building, while chunks of the fuselage and wheels were visible within the wreckage inside. In the canteen, plates of uneaten food were pictured lying scattered across the dining room. It's still unclear how many people were inside the hostel, which is near the city's Civil Hospital. Outside the hostel, located in a residential area with some offices, flames burnt trees as emergency rescue teams rushed to the scene in a desperate bid to find survivors and clear the area. 'I was sitting at home, there was a loud noise, it felt like an earthquake,' said one man speaking to media from the scene. He added: 'I came out and saw smoke, I didn't realise it was a plane crash, then I came here and I found out and I saw the crashed plane – there were many bodies lying on the ground.' Another resident, Poonam Patni, said her sister-in-law was on the flight, and so she attended the crash scene. She told AFP: 'When we reached the spot there were several bodies lying around and firefighters were dousing the flames. Many of the bodies were burned.' An eyewitness, Haresh Shash, told PTI: 'The plane was flying very low before it crashed. As it crashed into the building, the sound was like a blast, and the plane and the building caught fire.' At least one person survived the crash, police have said. Ramesh Viswashkumar was found by police in seat 11A, according to Indian news agency ANI. His family have said he is a British national from London who was in India visiting family. He told the Hindustan Times: "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." Air India's Flight 171, which was due into London at 6.25pm, had onboard 169 Indian nationals, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and a Canadian. Eleven of those on board were children. Two pilots and 10 cabin crew were also aboard. Located in western India, Ahmedabad, the main city in the Gujarat state, has a population of eight million people. Local police said at least 290 bodies had been recovered from the crash site, but the total death count remains unclear as rescuers work through the charred wreckage. Those killed include both passengers and people on the ground, city police chief G.S. Malik told Reuters. As hundreds gathered to view the crash site, the army, Border Security Force, State Reserve Police Force and city police quickly sealed off the area while rescue workers retrieving bodies and looked for survivors. Firefighters tackled the flames while bodies were carried away on stretchers to be placed in ambulances. Indian doctors ' association, FAIMA, posted on X: 'We are deeply shocked about the news... news have become more gruesome after finding out that flight had crushed in BJMC, Hostel & many MBBS (medical and bachelor of surgery) students have also been injured.' A spokesperson for India's external affairs ministry said: 'What has happened in Ahmedabad is a very tragic accident. We have lost a lot of people. We extend our deepest condolences to all those who have lost their loved ones.'
