Air India Crash: London-Based Passenger From Seat 11A Survives, Says Brother Still Missing

As relatives of passengers rushed to Ahmedabad's Civil Hospital searching for answers, one of the survivors of the Air India AI171 crash, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, lay injured but alive in the general ward.

Speaking to ANI on a phone call, Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik said, "The police found one survivor in seat 11A. One survivor has been found in the hospital and is under treatment. Cannot say anything about the number of deaths yet. The death toll may increase as the flight crashed in a residential area."

Quoting a report by Hindustan Times, Vishwash, 40, told the publication: "Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly."

Seated in 11A, Vishwash suffered injuries to his chest, eyes, and feet. The Gatwick-bound Air India flight, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner carrying 242 people, had taken off at 1:39 PM and went down just minutes later in a crowded residential area of Ahmedabad.

"When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran," he told HT. "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."

According to HT, Vishwash is a British national who has lived in London for 20 years. He was in India briefly to visit his family and was returning to the UK along with his brother Ajay Kumar Ramesh (45), who 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," Vishwash pleaded.

Air India confirmed that out of 230 passengers, 169 were Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian.

Meanwhile, family members of former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani were at the hospital. His former aide Sailesh Mandliya was quoted by HT saying:"We are looking for him. If you find out something, let me know."

Authorities continue to investigate the cause of the crash. The DGCA has deployed a high-level team, and the aircraft's black box has been recovered for further analysis.