A British national has survived the Air India plane crash, his family has confirmed to Sky News.
Relatives of Vishwash Kumar Ramesh said he was on board Air India Flight 171 and have spoken to him since it crashed shortly after take-off in the city of Ahmedabad on Thursday.
India plane crash – latest updates
They said they have not been able to contact another family member also believed to have been on board.
Mr 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” on 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.”
A map shows the route the plane was due to take to London
Footage shared on social media showed a man, which appears to be Mr 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 the Hindustan Times report, Mr Ramesh is 40 – official flight documents list his age as 38.
He said that his brother was seated 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.”
The medical school accommodation where the plane crashed. Pic: Reuters
One of the plane’s panels at the crash site. Pic: Xinhua/Shutterstock
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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 1800 5691 444 and +91 806 2779 200 for foreign nationals.
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Moments before and after crash
Firefighters work to put out a fire at the crash site. Pic: Reuters
Initially, an Ahmedabad city police commissioner claimed there appeared to be no survivors.
The local police chief later said that at least 204 bodies had been recovered from the crash site, according to Reuters.
Thursday’s is the first crash of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner in its history, according to the Aviation Safety Network database.
The model, a widebody, twin-engine plane, has made five million journeys in the 14 years since its first passenger flight.
India’s prime minister Narendra Modi said in a post on X: “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.”
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This story originally appeared on Skynews
