An Air India commercial flight headed for London crashed shortly after departing from Gujarat on Thursday morning. The Boeing 787-7 was carrying 242 passengers and crew members.
According to Air India, among those on board were 69 Indians, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian.
In a tragic turn, all but one of the foreign passengers lost their lives in the crash, which occurred in a residential area of Ahmedabad, the largest city in Gujarat.
The sole survivor, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, was seen walking away from the wreckage. Ramesh, whose background is British Indian, shared his harrowing experience.
“About thirty seconds after we took off, there was this loud noise, and then the plane went down. It all happened so quickly,” he recounted to Hindustan Times.
Family
Ramesh had been visiting family in India and had returned to the UK, where he has lived for two decades.
“When I came to, there was a body next to me. I was terrified. I got up and ran, navigating through pieces of the plane. Someone helped me into an ambulance, and I was taken to the hospital,” he explained.
Nayan Kumar, Ramesh’s brother, revealed that their father had spoken to Vishwash just as the plane was about to take off for London Gatwick. “Dad asked him how things were going, and he said he was about to take off,” Nayan recalled. “Then, he received a call saying, ‘The plane crashed. I’m not sure where my brother is or what happened to the others. I can’t believe I survived.’”
Dr. Dabal Gameti, who is treating Ramesh at Ahmedabad’s Municipal Hospital, mentioned to the Associated Press that Ramesh sustained multiple injuries but, thankfully, appears to be stable.
Sheet 11A
Ahmedabad Police Chief GS Malik informed the Indian News Outlet Asian News International that Ramesh was seated in 11A, which is located near the emergency exit.
David Sussy, a former Federal Aviation Administration Safety Inspector, stated that the 11A seat is positioned over a solid part of the aircraft, making it somewhat surprising that someone could survive the impact in such a location.
