Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Ahmedabad Civil Hospital on Friday to meet Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, the only survivor of Thursday¡¯s fatal Air India crash. Ramesh was among the 242 individuals aboard AI flight 171, which crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, killing 260 people, including those on the ground. Ramesh is currently being treated in the hospital¡¯s C7 ward, where 25 others injured in the crash are also admitted. Modi also interacted with the attending medical team during his visit.
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, seated in 11A, survived the crash due to his proximity to an emergency exit, according to local police. The 40-year-old British national was flying back to the UK with his brother after a family visit to India. Speaking to the media from his hospital bed, he described the aftermath: ¡°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.¡± It remains unclear whether he managed to escape before or after the aircraft made impact.
Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister also visited the Air India crash site near Ahmedabad International Airport. He was accompanied by Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, Gujarat State Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi, and senior officials. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed just 33 seconds after takeoff and collided with a medical college hostel, leading to significant casualties among both passengers and those on the ground.
The crash of Air India flight 171 led to the death of at least 260 people. Among the 242 onboard were 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, has launched a formal investigation into the incident. Union Minister Ram Mohan Naidu confirmed that the probe is underway to determine the causes of one of the deadliest air crashes in India¡¯s recent aviation history.
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