Air India plane crash: 40-year-old Vishwash Kumar Ramesh from UK survives crash, his brother missing
Air India plane crash: As distraught families gathered at the Civil Hospital in Asarwa, Ahmedabad, hoping for news of their missing relatives, 40-year-old Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British national, lay injured in the general ward. A survivor of the devastating crash of a Gatwick-bound Air India flight, Vishwash recounted the terrifying moments that followed the impact.
The Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, carrying 242 persons, including crew, took off at 1.39 pm on Thursday and crashed shortly afterward, bursting into flames. According to Air India, of the 230 passengers on board, 169 were Indian nationals, 53 were British citizens, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian.
Vishwash, a British national visiting India to see his family, was on his way back to London with his elder brother, Ajay Kumar Ramesh, 45. He recalled the chaos after regaining consciousness: “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,” as reported by Hindustan Times (HT). “Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital.”
Vishwash, who has lived in London for the past two decades with his wife and child, still had his boarding pass in his possession. He said his brother Ajay was seated in a different row. “We visited Diu. He was travelling with me, and I can’t find him anymore. Please help me find him,” he pleaded.
Meanwhile, the hospital was crowded with anxious family members and friends searching for those aboard the ill-fated flight. Among them were associates and relatives of former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who was also reportedly on the plane.
Sailesh Mandliya, a former aide to Rupani, was seen at the hospital desperately seeking information. “We are looking for him. If you find out something, let me know,” Mandliya told HT.
The authorities have yet to release a complete list of casualties and survivors, as rescue efforts and identification processes continue.
- With inputs from agencies
