One man has miraculously survived the Air India crash that killed over 200 people. The crash happened in Ahmedabad soon after takeoff.
Police Commissioner GS Malik told the media that one person survived. He was sitting in seat 11A. The flight was going to London.
The survivor is British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh. His name was listed on the flight manifest. Indian media said he showed his boarding pass from seat 11A.
Mr Ramesh is in the hospital and receiving treatment. He told reporters, “Thirty seconds after takeoff, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly.”
The survivor claimed that he jumped out of the plane moments before it crashed.
The plane crashed into a building used by doctors. It crashed less than one minute after takeoff.
There were 169 Indian nationals on board. The flight also had 53 people from the UK, 7 from Portugal, and 1 from Canada.
The King and Queen of the UK said they were shocked by the crash. They sent prayers and sympathy to the families.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said crisis teams have been set up. One team is in Delhi. Another is in London. He said they are helping British nationals and their families.
Read more: Air India Crash Causes Boeing Shares to Fall
Boeing shares fell 5% on Thursday after an Air India 787-8 Dreamliner jet crashed. The crash happened minutes after takeoff from Ahmedabad. All 242 people on board died. The plane was flying to London.
This was the worst air crash in ten years. The cause of the crash is still unknown. Boeing said it is gathering information. It merits a mention that this is the first fatal crash involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. These jets had been grounded in 2013 due to battery problems, but no one was hurt then.
The crash is a blow to Boeing’s efforts to increase production and restore its image. Boeing had recently received new orders and reached production goals in May.
