Man who miraculously survived Air India plane crash speaks out on terrifying ordeal
A survivor from the Air India plane flying to the UK carrying over 240 people has since spoken about the crash.
Of the 242 on board, Air India said there were '169 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese and one Canadian', with police in India, later releasing an official statement suggesting there were 'no survivors' on board the plane following the crash.
"It appears there are no survivors in the plane crash," Commissioner G.S. Malik told the Associated Press, adding that the fact the plane collided with a residential area means 'some locals would have also died'.
"Exact figures on casualties are being ascertained." Mailk continued.
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It has now been confirmed that one British passenger miraculously survived the plane crash, a man identified as Vishwash Kumar Ramesh.
He has since spoken to the Hindustan Times about the moment the plane went down, claiming to have heard a 'loud noise' around 30 seconds after takeoff.
"It all happened so quickly," he said, revealing he'd sustained 'impact injuries' on his chest, eyes and feet.
"When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran," he continued. "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."
The plane, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, was en route to Gatwick Airport in London from Ahmedabad and was scheduled to depart at 09:50 UK time, with an arrival time of 18:25.
It was later revealed that 'the last signal' traffic control officers received from the aircraft 'was at 08:08:51 UTC, just seconds after take-off'.
Ahmedabad Police have also since revealed a list of those 'injured' following the devastating crash, which has been described as the first of its kind.
Out of that list of 25 names, three were identified as female. Ages on the list, according to the police document, range from 18 to 52 years old.
It is not yet clear if the list in question included those on board the plane or those who were in the building or surrounding area where the plane crashed.
Additionally, it has not yet been confirmed that the 'list of injured in plane crash' is the full list of those injured following the crash.
The chairman of Air India, Natarajan Chandrasekaran, previously released a statement on the crash.
"With profound sorrow, I confirm that Air India flight, AI 171 operating Ahmedabad London Gatwick, was involved in a tragic accident today," he wrote on social media. "Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of all those affected by this devastating event.
"At this moment, our primary focus is on supporting all the affected people and their families. We are doing everything in our power to assist the emergency response teams at the site and to provide all necessary support and care to those impacted."
Chandrasekaran continued: "Further updates will be shared as we receive more verified information. An emergency centre has been activated and support team have been set up for families."
Topics: News, World News, Air India
Rhiannon Ingle