Ahmedabad, June 14: A British national who survived the Air India crash in Ahmedabad that killed more than 290 people managed to escape by jumping from an emergency exit, police said on Saturday.
Ramesh Viswashkumar, 40, was seated near an emergency exit on the London-bound flight when the aircraft went down on Thursday afternoon, crashing into a medical college hostel near the airport. He is the only confirmed survivor among the 242 passengers and crew on board, police added.
Speaking from his hospital bed, Viswashkumar told Indian media he had been travelling with his brother after visiting family in India. The status of his brother remains unknown.
Video footage circulated on social media and broadcast by Indian news outlets showed a man, bloodied and limping, being helped by emergency responders. The individual, wearing a white T-shirt stained with blood and dark trousers, matched images of Viswashkumar released by local media. In the video, when asked about the other passengers, he reportedly said, “They’re all inside.”
Reuters could not independently verify the footage.
Police confirmed Viswashkumar was undergoing treatment but declined to provide details on his condition. “He is the only known survivor at this stage, but rescue operations are continuing,” a senior police official, Mr. Chaudhary, told Reuters. “Chances are that there might be more survivors among the injured who are being treated in hospital.”
The crash is being described as the world’s worst aviation disaster in a decade. Among the dead were residents on the ground at the time of impact.
A family member based in the United Kingdom confirmed to Reuters by phone that Viswashkumar had survived and that relatives were in touch with him. Ajay Valgi, a cousin in Leicester, told the BBC the survivor had briefly spoken with them to say he was safe. “He only said that he was fine, nothing else,” Valgi said. “We’ve not heard anything about his brother. We’re all very upset.”
Valgi said Viswashkumar is married and has a young son. Emergency services and forensic teams continued to search the wreckage on Saturday, as authorities launched an investigation into the cause of the crash. No official statement has yet been made by Air India.
