Photo: Getty Images
One passenger miraculously survived the Air India plane crash in a residential neighborhood that killed more than 200 others, according to local officials and footage recorded at the scene.
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, of Britain, was in seat 11A of the Boeing 787-8 when it crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad Airport in northwest India. Ramesh was seen limping away from the wreckage and reacted to the crash while speaking to the Hindustan Times from a hospital bed the New York Post.
“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,” the 40-year-old said from a hospital bed.
“Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital.”
Air India Flight 171 crashed about five minutes after taking off for London Gatwick in Ahmedabad, Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, India's director general of the Directorate of Civil Aviation, confirmed via the New York Post. The pilot made a "Mayday" call seconds after takeoff and videos shared online showed the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner moving downward before bursting into flames, at which point thick black smoke filled the skyline.
“Thirty seconds after takeoff, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly," Ramesh said.
A total 242 people, including 11 children and 217 adults, were on board the plane at the time of the crash, a source confirmed to Reuters. The passengers were reportedly identified as 159 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian, according to Air India.
Photos shared by the Central Industrial Security Force's official X account from the scene showed the plane's tail protruding from the wall of a building, as well as onlookers standing next to the wreckage and a down tree near a living complex.
"Following the tragic crash of London-bound Air India flight AI 171 near Ahmedabad Airport, #CISF personnel immediately activated emergency protocols and rushed to the site. Rescue operations are being carried out in close coordination with local authorities and emergency services. CISF stands in solidarity with the victims and their families in this hour of grief," CISF wrote on its X account.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the incident "heartbreaking beyond words" in a post shared on his X account.
"The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. It is 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 wrote.