British guy has ‘no idea’ how he survived Air India crash

A British guy is the only survivor of the London-bound Air India flight sporting 242 those who crashed in a while after takeoff within the north-west Indian town of Ahmedabad.

Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who used to be in seat 11A of the flight, stated the plane crashed virtually right away after takeoff. It is assumed his brother used to be at the similar flight.

“Thirty seconds after takeoff there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly,” Ramesh informed the Hindustan Times from a normal ward within the civil health center in Asarwa, Ahmedabad.

The 40-year-old British nationwide informed the newspaper he used to be returning to the United Kingdom, the place he has lived for 20 years, after visiting circle of relatives in India. Another brother, talking out of doors the circle of relatives house in Leicester, within the East Midlands, stated Ramesh had “no idea” how he escaped.

Nayan Kumar Ramesh, 27, added: “We were just shocked as soon as we heard it. I last spoke to him yesterday morning. We’re devastated, just devastated. He said, ‘I have no idea how I exited the plane’.”

A relative added: “He’s doing well I think. It’s a big shock. I don’t have many words to describe the incident.”

Initial stories advised all passengers onboard had died, however native police showed they’d discovered one survivor of the flight, which plummeted right into a clinical school on Thursday, with movies appearing an enormous explosion and thick smoke within the speedy aftermath.

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which used to be sporting 53 British nationals amongst its greater than 240 passengers, used to be engulfed in an enormous fireball after crashing into the Meghani Nagar residential house mins after setting out at 1.38pm native time (09:08 BST) on Thursday.

The Ahmedabad police commissioner, GS Malik, informed the scoop company ANI there used to be one survivor who used to be in seat 11A. The flight manifest shared through government stated the passenger in that seat used to be Ramesh. Malik informed ANI the survivor “has been in the hospital and is under treatment”.

Ramesh, who lives together with his spouse and kid in London, used to be apprehensive to seek out his brother who used to be sitting on a distinct row. He informed the newspaper: “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.”

A video of the crash circulating on-line confirmed the plane flying over a residential house of Ahmedabad. It disappeared in the back of timber sooner than an enormous explosion used to be adopted through massive plumes of black smoke.

Images of the aftermath confirmed portions of the aircraft embedded into BJ Medical College, with items of its touchdown tools, fuselage and tail sticking out from the construction.

Air India stated 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, one Canadian and 7 Portuguese nationals had been onboard the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Gatwick airport stated a reception centre used to be being arrange for family of passengers.

A British couple who run a non secular wellness centre and yoga studio had been reportedly amongst the ones at the flight. Fiongal and Jamie Greenlaw-Meek, who run the Wellness Foundry in south London and Ramsgate, Kent, which gives psychic readings, tarot, reiki and yoga, spoke sooner than the flight in their love of India and the “mind-blowing” reports they’d had there.

On Tuesday, the Greenlaw-Meeks posted on their social media accounts from their lodge within the town. They spoke of making a vlog documenting their revel in, announcing had been excited to speak about it. Sitting subsequent to his husband, Fiongal stated: “So it’s our last night in India and we have had a magical experience really, there have been some quite mind-blowing things that have happened.”

Akeel Nanabawa, his spouse, Hannaa Vorajee, and their daughter, who lived in Gloucester, had been additionally onboard, in line with the Gloucester Muslim Community, which stated in a commentary: “Unfortunately, we are led to believe that three Gloucester locals, Akeel Nanabawa, his wife and four-year old child, were all onboard. Those wishing to do taziyat, please allow the family some time to mourn amongst themselves.”

In a put up on social media, the Gloucester Muslim Bereavement Council stated it used to be “profoundly heartbroken by the devastating loss of life in the catastrophic crash of Flight AI171, travelling from Ahmedabad to London”.

Naming the 3 sufferers, it stated: “During this moment of overwhelming sorrow, our hearts go out to all those left behind. No words can truly ease the pain of such a profound loss, but we pray that the family may find solace in the tremendous outpouring of compassion and solidarity from communities across the world.”

UK officers are being deployed to India to give a boost to the investigation, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch stated. Keir Starmer, the United Kingdom top minister, stated the crash used to be “devastating”, whilst the Indian top minister, Narendra Modi, stated it used to be “heartbreaking beyond words”.

King Charles and Queen Camilla stated in a commentary they had been “desperately shocked”, including: “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, as they await news of their loved ones.”