Narendra Modi visits plane crash site and meets sole survivor
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Ahmedabad on Friday morning to visit the site of the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crash that killed at least 290 people a day earlier.
Just one passenger survived the crash on the London-bound flight, which had 242 people on board, including 12 crew members. The total death toll stands at 290, as the plane hit a hostel for doctors when it crashed, claiming additional lives.
'The scene of devastation is saddening,' Modi said in a post on X. 'Met officials and teams working tirelessly in the aftermath.'
According to Air India, there were 169 Indian, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian national on board.
After visiting the crash site, Modi went to the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, where he met the lone survivor of the crash, Ramesh Vishwashkumar, a 38-year-old British citizen. Ahmedabad police said Vishwashkumar, who was sitting near the emergency exit, managed to jump off the plane. He is being treated for his injuries.
'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,' Viswashkumar told the Hindustan Times. 'Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital.'
❗️PM Modi Visits Crash Site Of Air India Tragedy In Ahmedabad#AhmedabadPlaneCrashhttps://t.co/KXGXu3Q83Tpic.twitter.com/0jB2YBq7wu
Footage from the wreckage area on Thursday showed rescue efforts, with bodies being retrieved and injured individuals, many suffering from burns, being rushed to the nearby city civil hospital for treatment.
Visited the crash site in Ahmedabad today. The scene of devastation is saddening. Met officials and teams working tirelessly in the aftermath. Our thoughts remain with those who lost their loved ones in this unimaginable tragedy. pic.twitter.com/R7PPGGo6Lj
The cause of the crash is unclear but the pilot had issued a 'Mayday' distress call, denoting a full emergency, soon after takeoff, Air Traffic Control at Ahmedabad said.
Boeing, one of the world's largest aircraft manufacturers, has faced mounting scrutiny in recent years due to a series of safety and quality control issues. Most notably, the Boeing 737 MAX was grounded globally between 2019 and 2020 following two fatal crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia that killed 346 people.
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