The lone passenger who survived the deadly Air India crash sparks interest in other sole survivors
How did your country report this? Share your view in the comments.
Diverging Reports Breakdown
Air India plane crash live updates: One black box recovered after airline confirms 241 on board killed
241 of the 242 people on board the flight did not survive. Only a British national miraculously escaped with minor injuries. Investigators have recovered one of the two black boxes from the wreckage. The passengers included 169 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese citizens and one Canadian. “We are still verifying the number of dead, including those killed in the building where the plane crashed,” a senior police officer said.
On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice
All passengers but one onboard an Air India flight headed to London died after it crashed in a huge fireball moments after take-off in India’s western city of Ahmedabad.
Air India confirmed that 241 of the 242 people on board the flight did not survive, with only a British national miraculously escaping with minor injuries.
Investigators were able to recover one of the two black boxes from the wreckage and a search was on for the other, Hindustan Times reported.
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, the sole survivor, was sitting in seat 11A when the plane crashed. Describing the moments before the plane crashed into a residential area, he told Hindustan Times: “Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly.”
Air India said the passengers included 169 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese citizens and one Canadian. “We are still verifying the number of dead, including those killed in the building where the plane crashed,” a senior police officer said.
Families in India with concerns can call Air India on 1800 5691 444. Those outside India can call the British Foreign Office on 020 7008 5000.
The lone passenger who survived the deadly Air India crash sparks interest in other sole survivors
A medic has said Vishwashkumar Ramesh was thrown out of the plane and walked to a nearby ambulance for aid. The notion that only one person survived the Air India plane crash that killed 241 people on board Thursday is sparking interest on social media. In recent decades, several other people have been the lone survivors of plane crashes. At least three others have been “sole survivors” of planes crashes. The Air India crash killed all 154 people aboard, except for a 4-year-old girl. Two people also died on the ground in the crash in the Detroit suburb of Romulus, Michigan, on August 16, 2012. The crash left a half-mile trail of bodies and wreckage along Middle Belt Road.
The notion that only one person survived the Air India plane crash that killed 241 people on board Thursday is sparking interest on social media about how that could happen and if such a thing has happened before.
A medic has said Vishwashkumar Ramesh was thrown out of the plane and walked to a nearby ambulance for aid. Dr. Dhaval Gameti, who treated Ramesh, told The Associated Press that Ramesh was disoriented with multiple injuries all over his body, but that he seemed to be out of danger.
Recommended Videos
People on social media have been commenting about the idea of only one person surviving the crash, calling it unreal, remarkable, a work of divine intervention, and a miracle.
In recent decades, several other people have been the lone survivors of plane crashes.
Cecelia Crocker — known as Cecelia Cichan at the time of the 1987 crash — was aboard Northwest Airlines Flight 255 when it crashed in the Detroit suburb of Romulus, killing 154 people on board, including her parents and brother. Two people also died on the ground.
The Phoenix-bound plane was clearing the runway when it tilted and the left wing clipped a light pole before shearing the top off a rental car building. The McDonnell Douglas MD80 left a half-mile trail of bodies and wreckage along Middle Belt Road.
The National Transportation Safety Board concluded the plane’s crew failed to set the wing flaps properly for takeoff. The agency also said a cockpit warning system did not alert the crew to the problem.
Cichan said in a 2013 documentary that she thought about the crash every day and that she had scars on her arms, legs and forehead. She had also gotten an airplane tattoo on her wrist.
“I got this tattoo as a reminder of where I’ve come from. I see it as — so many scars were put on my body against my will — and I decided to put this on my body for myself,” she said in the film.
At least three other people have been “sole survivors” of plane crashes.
George Lamson Jr., then a 17-year-old from Plymouth, Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985.
Lamson in a social media post Thursday said the news of a plane crash in India with only one survivor shook him.
“There are no right words for moments like this, but I wanted to acknowledge it,” he said. “These events don’t just make headlines. They leave a lasting echo in the lives of those who’ve lived through something similar.”
Bahia Bakari, then 12, lived through a Yemenia Airways flight that crashed near the Comoro Islands in 2009.
Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky.
Air India plane crash: Lone passenger Vishwash Kumar Ramesh who survived the deadly crash sparks interest in other sole survivors
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British national, was found outside of the plane. He was disoriented and suffered multiple injuries but is expected to recover. Social media platforms have been abuzz with reactions, with many users describing the event as “unreal”, “remarkable”, and even “a miracle”Instances of lone survivors in plane crashes, while rare, have occurred in the past. In 1987, Cecelia Crocker, then known as Cecelian Cichan, survived the Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crash in Romulus, a suburb of Detroit. George Lamson Jr., then a 17-year-old from Plymouth, Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985.
Reports that a sole passenger miraculously survived the Air India plane crash that claimed 241 lives on Thursday have stirred considerable interest and speculation.
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British national, was found outside of the plane.
According to Dr Dhaval Gameti, who treated Mr Ramesh, he was disoriented and suffered multiple injuries but is expected to recover.
Social media platforms have been abuzz with reactions, with many users describing the event as “unreal”, “remarkable”, and even “a miracle”.
Instances of lone survivors in plane crashes, while rare, have occurred in the past.
In 1987, Cecelia Crocker, then known as Cecelia Cichan, survived the Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crash in Romulus, a suburb of Detroit.
open image in gallery India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, meeting with Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, sole survivor of the Air India flight 171 crash ( NARENDRA MODI YOUTUBE CHANNEL/AF )
The crash killed 154 people, including her parents and brother, as well as two people on the ground.
The Phoenix-bound plane was clearing the runway when it tilted and the left wing clipped a light pole before shearing the top off a rental car building. The McDonnell Douglas MD80 left a half-mile trail of bodies and wreckage along Middle Belt Road.
The National Transportation Safety Board concluded the plane’s crew failed to set the wing flaps properly for takeoff. The agency also said a cockpit warning system did not alert the crew to the problem.
Ms Cichan said in a 2013 documentary that she thought about the crash every day and that she had scars on her arms, legs and forehead. She had also gotten an airplane tattoo on her wrist.
“I got this tattoo as a reminder of where I’ve come from. I see it as — so many scars were put on my body against my will — and I decided to put this on my body for myself,” she said in the film.
open image in gallery A memorial in Romulus, Michigan, for the victims of Northwest Airlines Flight 255 ( AP )
At least three other people have been “sole survivors” of plane crashes.
George Lamson Jr., then a 17-year-old from Plymouth, Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985.
Mr Lamson in a social media post on Thursday said the news of a plane crash in India with only one survivor shook him.
“There are no right words for moments like this, but I wanted to acknowledge it,” he said.
“These events don’t just make headlines. They leave a lasting echo in the lives of those who’ve lived through something similar.”
Bahia Bakari, then 12, lived through a Yemenia Airways flight that crashed near the Comoro Islands in 2009.
Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky.