Ahmedabad Plane Crash: 40-year-old man survives deadly crash, says, 'There were...'

An Air India flight bound for London, carrying 242 people onboard, crashed at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad shortly after its take-off, prompting a quick emergency response. The injured are currently undergoing treatment at Civil Hospital in the city. 

As relatives of the passengers onboard continue to look for their loved ones at the hospital, 40-year-old Vishwas Kumar Ramesh, a British national, lies on a bed in the general ward who gave a chilling account of how he survived the deadly crash. 

“Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly,” Vishwash, who received injuries on his chest, eyes and feet, told Hindustan Times. Vishwas, a British national, had come to India to visit his family and was going back to London along with his brother, Ajay Kumar Ramesh. 

Vishwas further told HT that when he regained consciousness, he saw bodies lying all around. "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", he recalled. 

The British national said that he had been living in London for almost 20 years, adding that his wife and children live there. Vishwas added that his brother Ajay was seated in a different row. "We visited Diu. He was travelling with me and I can’t find him anymore. Please help me find him,” he told HT. 

Air India crash 

The aircraft was under the command of Capt Sumeet Sabharwal with First Officer Clive Kundar. Capt Sumeet Sabharwal is an LTC with 8200 hours of experience. The official added that the copilot had 1100 hours of flying experience.

As per ATC, the aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 1339 IST (0809 UTC) from runway 23. It made a Mayday call to ATC, but thereafter, the aircraft did not respond to the calls made by ATC. Aircraft immediately after departure from Runway 23, fell on the ground outside the airport perimeter. The official said that heavy black smoke was seen coming from the accident site.Meanwhile, the Gujarat government has mobilised three teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), comprising 90 personnel, from Gandhinagar to the crash site to aid rescue operations.

The Ahmedabad City Police has released an emergency helpline number for assistance and information related to the crash. "Ahmedabad City Police Emergency Number for Police Emergency Services and necessary information related to the Ahmedabad Plane Crash 07925620359," Ahmedabad Police stated in a post on X.

With inputs from ANI