
PM Narendra Modi meets Ramesh Viswashkumar, lone survivor of Air India plane crash at Ahmedabad hospital
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met Ramesh Viswash Kumar, the lone survivor of the deadly Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad on Thursday, which killed at least 260 people.
Ramesh Viswash Kumar, who was onboard the ill-fated Air India flight AI-171, miraculously survived the fatal mishap, in which all the other passengers and crew members lost their lives.
He is currently receiving medical treatment at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital. Modi visited the C7 ward of the hospital, where 25 injured people are undergoing treatment.
The Prime Minister also interacted with doctors of the civil hospital, PTI reported.
Ramesh Viswash Kumar was in the '11A' seat of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner near an emergency exit and managed to jump out, police said.
Speaking from his hospital bed, the 40-year-old told the media that he was a British national and was travelling to Britain with his brother after visiting family in India.
"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," Viswashkumar told HT.
It was not clear whether Viswashkumar managed to jump out before the plane made impact.
Modi on Friday visited the Air India plane crash site in Ahmedabad and reviewed the ground situation, a day after the AI-171 flight bound for London Gatwick crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad International Airport.
The Prime Minister arrived in the city this morning and proceeded to the site where the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner -- carrying 242 passengers and crew crashed.
Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, State Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi and other officials accompanied PM Modi during his visit.
At least 260 people were killed when an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick crashed 33 seconds after taking off on Thursday and rammed into a nearby medical college hostel.
There were 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian national on board the crashed plane.
A formal investigation has been launched by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) into the deadly crash of Air India flight 171 that killed 241 people onboard, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu confirmed on Thursday.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


United News of India
34 minutes ago
- United News of India
PM Modi leads India and the world in IDY celebration
New Delhi, June 21 (UNI) The celebration of the International Day of Yoga (IDY) on Saturday witnessed an overwhelming global participation, from India's borders and remote villages to bustling cities and embassies abroad. The day was led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who performed yoga at the iconic Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, addressing a massive gathering of over one lakh yoga enthusiasts. Modi highlighted that yoga is not merely an exercise but a holistic way of life, transcending boundaries, backgrounds, age, and abilities. He further emphasised the unifying power of yoga, noting that it has now been embraced by 175 countries, marking the global acceptance of his proposal for IDY in 2015. Joining the Prime Minister at the venue were Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy CM Konidela Pawan Kalyan, underlining the yoga's cultural significance. To mark the day, President Droupadi Murmu took part in a yoga camp held at the Police Line in Dehradun, highlighting India's pivotal role in promoting yoga on the world stage. In fact, throughout the country, the spirit of unity was palpable as ministers, government officials, organisations both from public and private sectors and people from all walks of life participated. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla led celebrations at Parliament, while Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh took part in a session with 2,500 soldiers in Udhampur, Jammu & Kashmir. He praised yoga for its role in enhancing mental clarity, discipline, and control — critical qualities for the armed forces. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel celebrated the day respectively at Prahladnagar Garden in Ahmedabad city and Vadnagar town of Mehsana district, the birthplace of the Prime Minister, while at Kartavya Path in the national capital, Union Health Minister and BJP president JP Nadda led the mass yoga demonstration, emphasising yoga's global significance in ensuring balance between the body, mind, and spirit. Nadda's colleagues in the Ministry, Prataprao Jadhav and Anupriya Singh Patel, called yoga as an invaluable gift from India that connects the body, mind, and soul for holistic well-being. In states like Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim, and Madhya Pradesh, officials and citizens embraced yoga with a deep sense of belonging and peace. J&K LG Manoj Sinha participated in the 11th International Yoga Day in line with the Common Yoga Protocol, while Sikkim CM Prem Singh Tamang led a session in Gangtok, promoting wellness in the northeastern region. Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, attended the event at Modhera Sun Temple, Mehsana while senior officials at the Geological Survey of India (GSI) preferred to choose its iconic geo-heritage sites such as Bhimbetka Rock Shelters in Madhya Pradesh and Mangampeta Barytes Deposit in Andhra Pradesh. At the same time, Union Minister for Education, Dharmendra Pradhan, celebrated the day near the riverfront at Maa Samaleswari Temple Complex, Sambalpur, Odisha with officials, dignitaries and residents of Sambalpur joining him at the session. Similarly, over nine lakh cadets of National Cadet Corps (NCC) participated in synchronised yoga sessions at iconic locations across the country from Leh in the North to Kanyakumari in the South and from Dwarka in the West to Tezu in the East at iconic spots, as well as in public parks, schools, and colleges across the country, according to the government statement. The enthusiasm wasn't limited to India. Indian embassies worldwide hosted grand events, from Tokyo, where Yoshiko Ishiba, the spouse of Japan's Prime Minister, joined in, to New York's Times Square, where hundreds took part in a vibrant yoga session. Washington, DC also marked the occasion with a large turnout at the Lincoln Memorial, demonstrating yoga's universal appeal. In their posts on X, Indian embassies in Qatar, Nepal and Kuwait among many others also highlighted celebration of the D Day by organizing the events in their respective countries. UNI TEAM PRS


India Today
34 minutes ago
- India Today
Exclusive: Chandrababu Naidu backs PM Modi's Yoga message, calls for global peace
In an exclusive interaction with India Today, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu endorsed Prime Minister Modi's message on Yoga, saying it can bring peace to the world by reducing violence. He noted that people in Visakhapatnam are increasingly incorporating yoga into their daily lives. On the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict, Naidu stressed that war is not the solution and emphasised the need for dialogue and peace.


Time of India
34 minutes ago
- Time of India
Agriculture self-reliance: Govt says oilseeds and pulses output growing faster; MPs raise alarm over costly edible oil imports
The government has told a parliamentary committee that domestic production of pulses and edible oils has risen at a greater pace in the last 10 years compared to the previous decade, even as several MPs voiced concern over the country's continued dependence on imports to meet demand. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In a presentation to the Standing Committee on Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Food Processing, the agriculture ministry said imports accounted for 15.66 million metric tonnes (MMT), or 56 per cent, of the total domestic demand for edible oils in 2023-24. Sources said the ministry, during the committee meeting held on June 20, emphasised the ongoing efforts to achieve self-sufficiency, PTI reported. It noted that oilseeds production rose by 55 per cent between 2014-15 and 2024-25, with the third advance estimate pegging production at 426.09 lakh tonnes in the last fiscal. In contrast, the growth in oilseeds output was only 13 per cent in the 2004-05 to 2014-15 period. MPs also expressed concerns over public health, particularly in connection with India's high dependence on imported palm oil, which is relatively cheaper. Some members flagged possible health hazards associated with palm oil consumption. The ministry said the country's dependence on edible oil imports is costing more than Rs 80,000 crore annually. Based on the data presented for 2023-24, India's domestic production was adequate to meet the demand for mustard and groundnut oils. However, the country had to import 3.49 MMT of sunflower oil against a domestic consumption of 3.55 MMT and imported more than 60 per cent of its soybean oil needs. On pulses, the ministry said their production rose by 47 per cent between 2014-15 and 2024-25—a period when the BJP-led NDA was in power—compared to a 31 per cent increase in the decade before, under the Congress-led UPA government. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Some MPs suggested incentivising farmers who traditionally grow paddy and wheat to shift towards pulses and oilseeds. The ministry also elaborated on the government's roadmap to achieve 'aatmanirbharta' or self-reliance in pulses and oilseeds by 2030-31. These plans were detailed in the Union Budget earlier this year. Among the challenges flagged by the ministry was that 75 per cent of pulse crops are rainfed and grown on marginal lands with low fertility by small and marginal farmers. The sources added that the presentation also covered the government's national campaign to promote 'optimal utilization of edible oils and its health benefits' in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for a 10 per cent reduction in their intake to boost overall fitness.