Latest news with #ViswashkumarRamesh
ABC News
2 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Lone survivor of Air India crash farewells brother as investigations continue into crash
Just days after being discharged from hospital, the sole survivor of the Air India plane crash has farewelled his brother, who died in the disaster. With bandages still on his face, Viswashkumar Ramesh helped carry his brother Ajay's coffin through the town of Diu on India's west coast on Wednesday, local time. He was clearly distressed and consoled by family members. Mourners packed the streets to farewell the English businessman's brother, who was sitting just a few rows from him six days ago when flight AI171 bound for London crashed in the suburbs of Ahmedabad. All of the other 241 other passengers died, along with at least 30 people on the ground and five medical students. Mr Ramesh remarkably survived the horror, managing to walk to find medical help. Other funeral services for victims took place across the country, but some families were still waiting for the relatives to be returned to them. Distraught relatives have been providing DNA samples to help identify their loved ones, in a painstakingly slow process. As of Wednesday, the medical superintendent of the Civil Hospital, Rakesh Joshi, told journalists that 208 victims had been identified. The funerals took place as Air India's chairman confirmed that the crashed Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner had no record of engine problems. In an interview with Indian broadcaster Times Now, Natarajan Chandrasekaran said Air India flight 171's right engine was new and installed in March 2025, and that the left engine was last serviced in 2023. Experts from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau are probing the crash with assistance from the UK, the US and officials from Boeing. A definitive cause could take several months or even years to determine. Following the crash, India's aviation safety regulator has ordered deeper checks on the Boeing 787 aircraft operated by Air India. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation said that Air India had cancelled 83 wide-body flights, including 66 Dreamliners since the new checks were imposed. However, it said no "major safety concerns" had been found. Air India said it would cut international wide-body aircraft flights by 15 per cent for the next few weeks. It cited additional safety checks and operational disruption as reasons for the move. The airline said in a statement that inspections had been completed on 26 of its 33 Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft, and those 26 have been cleared for service. The cuts, effective until at least mid-July, were being implemented "to ensure stability of operations, better efficiency and minimise inconvenience to passengers," the Tata Group-owned airline said. The remaining planes will be checked in the coming days, and additional checks are also planned for its Boeing 777 fleet, Air India added. ABC/wires
India Today
2 days ago
- India Today
Landed on soft soil, no blast on plane: How lone survivor escaped Air India crash
Viswashkumar Ramesh, the only survivor of the Air India AI 171 crash, lived through one of the most catastrophic aviation tragedies involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which went down on June 12, killing 241 out of the 242 people onboard. Top sources informed India Today TV about the reason behind his miraculous escape - Ramesh landed in the narrow gap between two buildings where loose soil had been piled up, cushioning his fall and saving his facie, it is being said that had there been an internal explosion in the aircraft, a passenger seated in 11A - Ramesh's seat - could not have exited unscathed. His survival is now being attributed largely to the spot where he fell, which broke the force of impact just enough to save after the crash, as the world reeled from the scale of the tragedy, a faint glimmer of hope pierced through the devastation - emerging from the wreckage was Viswashkumar Ramesh, walking out of the BJ Medical College campus with plumes of thick black smoke billowing in the background, with a video of the same also going viral. In the aftermath of the crash, authorities moved swiftly to begin DNA identification of the victims. Sources confirmed that the first DNA sample was handed over to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) by 12.19 am on June 13. Over 50 relatives provided samples by 8 pm on June 12, hours after the 9 am on June 14, the first match had been established, and the process of returning identifiable remains to the families had begun. In less than 34 hours, the first DNA profiling was aircraft, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, was en route to London's Gatwick Airport when the tragedy occurred. This was the first fatal accident involving a 787 since the model entered commercial service in was seated in 11A, next to the emergency exit, when the aircraft broke apart. His seat detached and was flung clear of the wreckage, sparing him from the massive fireball that followed. "The plane broke, and my seat came off," he had earlier told speaking to Aaj Tak, India Today's sister website, Ramesh on Tuesday said that he was being discharged, informing that he was heading home to perform the last rites of his younger brother.
Observer
2 days ago
- General
- Observer
What you need to know about the Air India Boeing Dreamliner crash
The crash of an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad city, killing all but one of the 242 people on board, is the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. At least 30 people were also killed on the ground as the airliner crashed into a medical college hostel near the airport. The crash poses a fresh challenge for Air India, which has long sought to become a "world-class airline", and Boeing, which is working to restore public trust after a series of safety and production crises. The descent of the plane starts roughly 17 seconds after takeoff. There is no fire visible around the engine or elsewhere when the plane appears to start going down. There were 169 Indians, 53 Britons, 7 Portuguese, and one Canadian among the passengers on board. Twelve crew members were also on the plane. The only survivor was Viswashkumar Ramesh, 40, who was in seat 11A, near the emergency exit. Dozens of anxious family members are waiting to collect bodies of loved ones as doctors work to gather dental samples and do DNA profiling to identify bodies badly charred. EARLY INVESTIGATION Air India and the Indian government are looking at issues linked to engine thrust, flaps, and why the landing gear remained open. The black boxes, crucial to the crash probe, have been recovered. India's aviation safety watchdog has asked Air India for the training records of the pilots and dispatchers, while asking flying schools to conduct training compliance checks. Officials from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and U.S. Federal Aviation Administration officials, as well as Boeing and GE, have surveyed the crash site. An inspection of Air India's 787 fleet did not reveal any major issues, but the Indian aviation watchdog raised concerns about recent maintenance-related issues reported by the airline and advised the carrier to "strictly adhere to regulations". TRAGIC TALES The plane hit a college hostel building. When Reuters visited, some steel tumblers and plates containing food lay on the few tables that were left intact. Wheels and other parts of the aircraft were embedded in the walls. Ravi Thakor, a cook at the college hostel, and his wife have been praying for a 'second miracle' - just like the survival of the sole passenger - as he searches for his two-year-old daughter, whom he had rocked to sleep before stepping out 30 minutes before the crash to deliver lunch boxes. Lawrence Christian, a 30-year-old working in Britain, had flown to India to bury his father, but just two weeks later, his family will have to bury him. His grandmother grieved the loss of "light of our home." INSIDE AIR INDIA Boeing Commercial Airplanes' head Stephanie Pope visited India and met Air India Chair N. Chandrasekaran at the airline's headquarters. Chandrasekaran also held a town hall meeting with 700 staff saying the Tata Group-owned airline should use the crash as a catalyst to build a safer airline. In another incident, an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner plane bound for New Delhi returned to its origin of Hong Kong after takeoff on June 16 following a technical issue.
Time of India
2 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Ahmedabad plane crash: Lone survivor Viswashkumar Ramesh discharged from hospital
NEW DELHI: The only survivor of the Air India AI-171 crash, Viswashkumar Ramesh, was discharged from Ahmedabad Civil Hospital on Wednesday morning, six days after the disaster that killed over 240 people. The British national of Indian origin was travelling with his brother, Ajaykumar Ramesh, on the London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner when it crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad last Thursday. The aircraft came down within 30 seconds of becoming airborne. While his brother, seated across the aisle in 11J, is among the deceased. Video clips from the crash site show the 38-year-old stumbling and bleeding, repeatedly shouting in Gujarati: 'Plane fatyo che! Plane fatyo che!' ('The plane exploded!'). Officials confirmed that the mortal remains of his brother were handed over to the family on Tuesday night. 'Where is my brother?' Still recovering from shock and head injuries, Viswashkumar initially refused to speak after being rescued. From his bed in Ward B7 of Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, he reportedly asked: 'Where is my brother? Leave me alone. I don't want to talk. Can anyone tell me where he is?' In a brief conversation with his cousin Dhirendra Somabhai, he recalled hearing strange noises and feeling the aircraft stalling before the pilot's emergency call: 'Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!' He said he remembers 'jumping through a door' and then waking up in chaos. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Thị trường có dấu hiệu suy thoái không? IC Markets Đăng ký Undo According to Ayub Mansuri, a close family friend who dropped the brothers at the airport that morning, Viswashkumar spoke to him three times after the crash before his phone went dead. 'I rushed to the hospital and found him injured,' he said. From Diu to London The Ramesh brothers were among 15 residents of Bucharwada and Vanakbara villages in Diu travelling on AI-171. Originally from the coastal town of Diu, Viswashkumar had lived in the UK for over 15 years. He and his brother ran a garment business in London and also managed a fishing enterprise back in India. Authorities said Viswashkumar was identified as the sole survivor around 2.30pm on the day of the crash, after which his hospital ward was sealed off.
TimesLIVE
2 days ago
- General
- TimesLIVE
What you need to know about the Air India Boeing Dreamliner crash
The crash of an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad city, killing all but one of the 242 people on board, is the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. At least 30 people were also killed on the ground when the aircraft crashed into a medical college hostel near the airport. The crash poses a fresh challenge for Air India, which has long sought to become a "world-class airline", and Boeing, which is working to restore public trust after safety and production crises. A 59-second CCTV video clip, one of the strongest pieces of visual evidence, showed the takeoff and the crash. The descent of the plane starts roughly 17 seconds after takeoff. There is no fire visible around the engine or elsewhere when the plane appears to start going down. There were 169 Indians, 53 Britons, 7 Portuguese and one Canadian among the passengers on board, and 12 crew members were also on the plane. The only survivor was Viswashkumar Ramesh, 40, who was in seat 11A, near the emergency exit. Dozens of anxious family members are waiting to collect the bodies of loved ones as doctors work to gather dental samples and do DNA profiling to identify bodies badly charred. Air India and the Indian government are looking at issues linked to engine thrust, flaps and why the landing gear remained open. The black boxes, crucial to the crash probe, have been recovered.
