One survivor has been found from the Air India plane tragedy
Police in India have confirmed one man has miraculously survived the tragic Air India plane crash which occurred earlier on Thursday (June 12).
Air India’s AI 171 flight was bound for London Gatwick, and was expected to touch down in the UK at 6:25 pm local time this evening.
However, the plane crashed into a residential area called Meghani Nagar after taking off from India’s Ahmedabad Airport.
Authorities have also confirmed that the aircraft crashed into a medical college hostel.
According to Air India, there were 242 on board the plane. The airline said: “Of these, 169 are Indian nationals, 53 are British nationals, 1 Canadian national and 7 Portuguese nationals.”
While the police commissioner appeared to suggest at the time that there were no survivors, officials have since confirmed that one man had survived the crash.
The plane crashed a short while after takeoff (Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik told ANI: “The police found one survivor in seat 11A. One survivor has been found in the hospital and is under treatment.
“Cannot say anything about the number of deaths yet. The death toll may increase as the flight crashed in a residential area.”
The man has since been identified as British-Indian man Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, and he’s been speaking to the local press about what happened.
Speaking to the Hindustan Times, Ramesh recalled hearing a ‘loud noise’ shortly after the plane took over.
“It all happened so quickly,” he said. “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.”
Ramesh was sat in 11A on the aircraft, while his brother – also on board – was seated in an entirely different row, Ramesh told the Hindustan Times.
The survivor has been speaking to the local press (Siddharaj Solanki/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Natarajan Chandrasekaran, the chairman of Air India, has released a statement in recent hours, offering his condolences to those affected.
He said: “With profound sorrow I confirm that Air India flight, AI171 operating Ahmedabad London Gatwick was involved in a tragic accident today. Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of all those affected by this devastating event.
“At this moment, our primary focus is on supporting all the affected people and their families. We are doing everything in our power to assist the emergency response teams at the site and to provide all necessary support and care to those impacted.
“Further updates will be shared as we receive more verified information. An emergency centre has been activated and support team have been set up for families.”
Tata Group, which owns Air India, also released a statement credited to Chandrasekaran that it will be paying compensation to the families of everyone onboard, as well as covering medical expense for those injured.
