Viswashkumar Ramesh, the only known survivor of the Air India crash in Ahmedabad, said he escaped through an emergency exit as bodies lay scattered around him.
Viswashkumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British national, has been identified as the sole confirmed survivor among the 242 people onboard an Air India flight that crashed in Ahmedabad on Thursday. The London-bound plane went down in a residential area, making it the world’s deadliest aviation disaster in a decade.
According to Indian police, Ramesh had been seated near an emergency exit and managed to escape through the emergency door. It remains unclear whether he jumped before or after the plane made impact.
Speaking to Hindustan Times from his hospital bed, Ramesh 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.” He added that someone helped him into an ambulance and took him to hospital.
Footage aired on Indian news channels and circulating on social media showed a bloodied man limping down a street, being assisted by a medic. The man bore a striking resemblance to Ramesh, as seen in photos published after the crash. Reuters was unable to independently verify the footage.
Ramesh’s boarding pass, published by local media, showed he was in seat 11A on the flight to Gatwick Airport. His brother, Ajay, who was travelling with him, had been seated elsewhere on the plane and remains unaccounted for. Ramesh has reportedly asked for help locating him.
Senior police officer Vidhi Chaudhary confirmed Ramesh’s escape through the emergency door. "He was near the emergency exit and managed to escape by jumping out the emergency door," she said.
Ramesh's cousin, Ajay Valgi, speaking from Leicester in central England, told the BBC that Ramesh called the family to confirm he was alive but did not offer many details. “He only said that he was fine, nothing else,” Valgi said, adding that the family had received no news about his brother.
Ramesh is married and has a son, according to relatives.
The crash claimed the lives of over 240 people, including some on the ground, when the aircraft struck a medical college hostel outside the airport at lunchtime. Authorities clarified that an earlier reported death toll of 294 had been due to double-counting of body parts.
Police noted that while Ramesh is the only confirmed survivor so far, search and rescue operations are ongoing, and others may yet be found alive.
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One of the two black boxes has been recovered from the wreckage of the Air India Dreamliner that crashed shortly after take-off in Ahmedabad, killing 241 of the 242 people on board, according to Hindustan Times.
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Israel’s strikes on Iran sparked global alarm, with leaders divided between calls for restraint and sharp condemnation. As tensions rise, the UN and regional powers urge urgent de-escalation to prevent wider conflict.
Israel’s strike on a Tehran housing complex killed around 60 people, including 20 children, according to Iranian state media. Though aimed at Iran’s nuclear programme, the scale and messaging suggest a deeper goal: regime change.
Iran confirmed limited damage to its Fordow nuclear facility following recent attacks, assuring that critical equipment had been relocated in advance and there are no contamination risks.
Iran has pulled out of nuclear talks with the United States after Israeli airstrikes on its military and nuclear sites, triggering a wave of missile attacks and raising fears of a wider regional conflict.
Tensions between Iran and Israel reached a critical point as both nations clashed at an emergency UN Security Council meeting, following a sweeping Israeli strike on Iranian targets that Tehran condemned as state terrorism and a deliberate attempt to sabotage nuclear diplomacy.
Israel’s strikes on Iran sparked global alarm, with leaders divided between calls for restraint and sharp condemnation. As tensions rise, the UN and regional powers urge urgent de-escalation to prevent wider conflict.
Israel’s strike on a Tehran housing complex killed around 60 people, including 20 children, according to Iranian state media. Though aimed at Iran’s nuclear programme, the scale and messaging suggest a deeper goal: regime change.
Kazakhstan has selected Russia’s Rosatom to lead the construction of its first nuclear power plant, edging out bids from China, France, and South Korea, in a move that deepens energy ties with Moscow despite public unease over Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Iran confirmed limited damage to its Fordow nuclear facility following recent attacks, assuring that critical equipment had been relocated in advance and there are no contamination risks.
Iran has pulled out of nuclear talks with the United States after Israeli airstrikes on its military and nuclear sites, triggering a wave of missile attacks and raising fears of a wider regional conflict.
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