Watch: Air India Survivor Claims He Walked Away From Plane Crash

By

Shane Croucher is a Breaking News Editor based in London, UK. He has previously overseen the My Turn, Fact Check and News teams, and was a Senior Reporter before that, mostly covering U.S. news and politics. Shane joined Newsweek in February 2018 from IBT UK where he held various editorial roles covering different beats, including general news, politics, economics, business, and property. He is a graduate of the University of Lincoln, England. Languages: English. You can reach Shane by emailing s.********@******ek.com

Shane Croucher

Breaking News Editor

????️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.

A video has emerged of an injured man walking to an ambulance having survived the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad.

Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British national, still had his boarding pass for London-bound Flight AI 171 and his seat, 11A.

“Thirty seconds after takeoff, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly,” Ramesh told the Hindustan Times from his hospital bed.

Newsweek could not immediately verify the claim, but Sky News said it had spoken to his family members, who confirmed he was on the plane and that they had talked with him since the crash.

Footage of the crash showed a huge explosion, and a smoldering wreckage in the aftermath as emergency services carried charred bodies away from the scene.

Local officials had initially said there were likely no survivors of the 242 people on board, and residents of the area hit would also be among the casualties.

Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik told ANI, an Indian news agency, that there was a survivor who was sitting in seat 11A on the plane.

Commissioner Malik said the passenger “has been in the hospital and is under treatment”.

Ramesh: ‘I stood up and ran’

“When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran,” Ramesh said.

“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 said he was in India to visit family and returning to his wife and child in London on the flight with his brother, Ajay Kumar Ramesh, who is still missing.

“We visited Diu. He was traveling with me and I can’t find him anymore. Please help me find him,” he said.

Modi ally among victims

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is from Gujarat, said the crash was “heartbreaking beyond words.”

“In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it. Have been in touch with Ministers and authorities who are working to assist those affected,” Modi said in a post on X.

A former member of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a top Gujarat elected official was among the crash victims, officials from the party have said.

Vijay Rupani, an ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the former chief minister in Gujarat, was killed when the plan crashed Thursday, Sambit Patra, of India’s ruling BJP, said on the social media platform X.

King Charles and Keir Starmer React to ‘Devastating’ Air India Crash

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the crash “devastating” and British Cabinet minister Lucy Powell said the government will provide “all the support that it can” to those affected by the crash.

Condolences were also sent from King Charles III and Queen Camilla, who said they were “desperately shocked” by the crash.

“Our special prayers and deepest possible sympathy are with the families and friends of all those affected by this appallingly tragic incident across so many nations,” he said in a statement.