Air India crash: New video shows sole survivor walk away unscathed
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Incredible new footage shows the sole survivor of the devastating Air India crash walking away calmly from the wreckage — as the aircraft explodes in a huge fireball behind him.
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British national, miraculously survived Thursday's deadly crash in the city of Ahmedabad after jumping out of seat 11A at the last minute.
The sole survivor of the Air India disaster is seen walking from the wreckage. Picture: YouTube
The father, who had been in India with his brother Ajay for the past year, is shown talking on the phone as he walks away from the blazing inferno in new video shared on social media.
Terrified witnesses are seen yelling around him after Air India Flight AI171 crashed moments after takeoff into a medical college on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, en route to London Gatwick Airport.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets with Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, sole survivor of the Air India flight 171 crash, at a hospital in Ahmedabad. Picture: YouTube
'The plane exploded,' one man can be heard yelling in the clip.
Ramesh's brother, who was sat near him on board the Boeing 787, was among the 270 people so far confirmed to have died in last week's crash.
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PILOT'S FINAL ACT OF HEROISM
The pilot of the Air India jet that crashed shortly after takeoff has been hailed a hero by residents who say his final actions saved their lives.
Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, 55, is being credited with steering the stricken Boeing 787 Dreamliner away from a three-storey apartment block moments before impact.
All 18 families inside the building — directly beneath the flight path — said they are alive because of his split-second decision to veer toward a patch of open grassland.
The aircraft, carrying 242 passengers and crew, suffered a loss of engine thrust shortly after departing Ahmedabad for London's Gatwick Airport.
The jet lifted barely 100 metres before issuing a mayday call and crashing into a residential district around lunchtime last Thursday.
Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, who had 8200 hours of flying experience, desperately cried 'Mayday … no thrust, losing power, unable to lift' before the aircraft went down. Picture: Supplied
A crew prepares to remove parts of an Air India plane from the roof of a building in Ahmedabad, India. Picture: AP
Locals said the plane appeared to be heading straight for their homes before banking away at the last second — missing them by mere feet.
At least 279 people have been confirmed dead, including 38 on the ground, making it one of the deadliest air disasters of the 21st century.
Only one person on board survived. However, officials said the final death toll may rise as DNA identification continues.
Air India confirmed the passengers included 169 Indians, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese citizens, a Canadian, and 12 crew members.
Captain Sabharwal, a seasoned pilot with more than 8200 flying hours, was the son of a senior official at India's civil aviation authority.
He was also the primary carer for his elderly father, and had phoned him just before takeoff.
Relatives carry the coffin of a victim, who was killed in the Air India flight crash, during a funeral ceremony in Ahmedabad. Picture: AFP
Among the survivors on the ground was Geeta Patni, 48, who lives near the crash site.
'The building was shaking. We were so scared,' she told The Sun.
'There was chaos in the street, fire and smoke. Any closer and we would have died. The pilot saved us.'
Jahanvi Rajput, 28, said: 'Thanks to the pilot, Captain Sabharwal, we survived. He's a hero. The green space next to us was visible to him — and that's where he went.'
Mum of two Chancal Bai, 50, added: 'If the plane had hit this residential area, there would have been hundreds more victims.'
The funeral has been held for British Mum of two Elcina Alpesh Makwana, 42, who was tragically killed in the Air India plane crash.
Recovery teams have retrieved all bodies from the site, though just 32 have been formally identified so far.
Most of the aircraft wreckage has now been cleared, and the engine will be sent to the US for analysis.
British and American aviation experts have joined India's National Disaster Response Force in the investigation.
It comes as the first funeral for a British victim — Elcina Alpesh Makwana, 42, from Hounslow, West London — was held on Sunday local time.
Her uncle, Joseph Patelia, said: 'Before takeoff, she called her father to say she'd boarded safely and would call again when she landed. That call never came.
'She vanished, leaving us in shock, in tears, unable to believe what we're hearing.'
An official said that authorities so far have identified 32 victims through DNA testing and bodies of 14 have been handed over to their families.
However, they said due to the severely charred condition of the bodies, it would not be possible to guarantee the recovery of all body parts.
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