Air India Plane Crash Leaves 241 Dead, One Survives
Photo Credit: Reuters
On June 12, an Air India plane crashed into a medical hostel in the Indian city of Ahmedabad, killing 241 of the 242 passengers on board. The flight was a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which had never recorded a crash before. According to BBC News, the aircraft went down shortly after takeoff, and an additional eight people lost their lives on the ground. Videos posted online show the plane’s slow descent after taking off, and the ball of fire that engulfed buildings on the ground as it crashed.
The flight was bound for London’s Gatwick airport and was carrying 53 British nationals, 169 Indians, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian. The Canadian national has been identified as Dr. Nirali Patel, a dentist from Mississauga, Ontario. Amongst the Indians who lost their lives is former Chief Minister of Gujarat, Vijay Rupani.
Less than 28 hours after the tragedy, India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau recovered the flight’s black box. All flight information is recorded by the device, and its discovery will aid investigators in understanding what went wrong so quickly. According to BBC News, India is leading the investigation, with assistance from the US and UK. Boeing’s CEO, Kelly Ortberg, is reportedly actively supporting the investigation.
The tragedy has sparked a widespread response, from within India and internationally. In a social media post, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that the crash was “heartbreaking beyond words,” and his “thoughts are with everyone affected.” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also posted his condolences on social media, saying, "The scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating.” Starmer stated that he was “being updated as the situation develops, and my thoughts are with the passengers and their families at this deeply distressing time." Air India issued a message in response to the tragedies, saying the airline’s “efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of all those affected, their families and loved ones.”
The densely populated area in which the plane crashed was impacted severely by the downed aircraft. Smoke and debris filled the air, and those close to the crash site were burned by the heat and the flames, according to Al Jazeera. Local resident Tara Ben told Al Jazeera that if the plane had fallen in her packed residential area, “there would be no one left to count the bodies. God saved us, but he took so many others.”
Vidhi Chaudhary, a top state officer in India, commented to Reuters that investigators are still determining the number of lives lost, including those who were in the building where the plane crashed.
Another story that is emerging from the shock and horror of the crash is the tale of the lone passenger who survived the accident. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh of Leicester, England, escaped the plane after it went down, and videos circulating on social media show him walking away from the crash. He was admitted to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and has been speaking to reporters about his experience on the flight. According to CNN, Ramesh told Indian broadcaster Doordarshan that he escaped through a small space near the door by his seat. He mentions how he burnt his hands in the flames in the process of fighting his way out of the aircraft. “For some time, I thought I was also going to die. But when I opened my eyes, I realised I was alive and I tried to unbuckle myself from the seat and escape from where I could,” he said. Ramesh’s brother was also on the plane with him but did not survive the crash.