Vishwash Kumar Ramesh is believed to be the sole survivor of the Air India Flight 171 crash. His brother said he video called their father moments after the crash to say: “I don’t know how I’m alive”
The British man who survived the Air India plane crash told his family “I don’t know how I’m alive” in a phone call seconds after the plane came down, his brother said. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh is the only passenger reported to have survived after Air India Flight 171 crashed into a building shortly after take-off in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on Thursday afternoon.
Relatives confirmed they had spoken to him since the crash – but they have not been able to contact his brother who was also believed to be on board. Speaking from Leicester, Ramesh’s brother Nayan said that their father was on the phone to Vishwash while the plane was still on the runway.
“My dad called him,” the 27 year old said. “And Vishwash said ‘oh we’re going to take off soon.” Two minutes later, their father received a video call from Ramesh to say the plane had crashed and he had survived.
“He video called my dad as he crashed and said ‘Oh the plane’s crashed. I don’t know where my brother is. I don’t see any other passengers. I don’t know how I’m alive – how I exited the plane’,” Nayan said.
Vidhi Chaudhary, a senior police officer in Ahmedabad, said Mr Ramesh was in seat 11A, next to an emergency exit, and “managed to escape by jumping out the emergency door”.
Ramesh earlier told the Hindustan Times that he heard a “loud noise” around 30 seconds after take-off – and before the plane went down. “It all happened so quickly,” he told the newspaper, adding he had received “impact injuries” to his chest, eyes and feet.
“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.”
Nayan Kumar Ramesh said he was supposed to be collecting his brother from Gatwick Airport on Thursday and the whole family planned to come together for a gathering this weekend. “I’ve got no words to describe it,” he said. “It’s a miracle that he survived – but what about the other miracle for my other brother.”
Asked how he and his relatives were feeling, he replied: “Devastated. I’m scared to fly now – to even sit on a plane.” Footage shared widely on social media showed Ramesh limping away from the crash site and being led towards emergency services.
He told Indian media he has lived in London for 20 years. According to reports, Ramesh is 40 – but official flight documents list his age as 38. He told the newspaper his brother was sitting in a different row on the plane. “We visited Diu. He was travelling with me and I can’t find him anymore. Please help me find him.”
Three Britons have been confirmed to have died in the crash – all members of the same family. Akeel Nanabawa, his wife Hannaa, and their four-year-old daughter Sara were among those who perished on the plane, Gloucester Muslim Community said on Facebook.
The aircraft departed Ahmedabad for London Gatwick at 1.38pm local time on Thursday, carrying 242 passengers and crew members. They included 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian national, the airline said.
According to tracking website Flightradar, a signal was last received from the plane less than a minute after it took off. It then crashed into a medical school’s residential quarters in Meghaninagar, Ahmedabad, the largest city in Gujarat state.
In a statement, London Gatwick said the flight was due to land at 6.25pm UK time on Thursday and a reception centre for relatives of those on board is being set up where information and support will be provided. The UK Foreign Office said it is “working with local authorities in India to urgently establish the facts and provide support to those involved”.
British nationals who require consular assistance are advised to call 020 7008 5000, while Air India has set up hotlines to provide information on +91 806 2779 200 for foreign nationals or 1800 5691 444 if calling from India.
