Police in India said there is one survivor after an Air India plane went down earlier today, Thursday, June 12.
The flight, AI 171, was supposed to land at London Gatwick around 6:25 pm local time. But not long after it took off from Ahmedabad Airport, it crashed into a neighborhood called Meghani Nagar.
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The plane also hit part of a medical college hostel during the crash.
Hundreds were on board, most from India and the UK
Air India said 242 people were on the plane.
Here’s how they broke it down: 169 were Indian citizens, 53 from the UK, one from Canada, and seven from Portugal.
The plane crashed into homes and a college hostel
The crash hit hard. It landed right in a busy residential spot, which made things even worse.
On top of that, officials said the plane slammed into a medical college hostel. So the damage spread beyond just those on board.
At first, police thought nobody made it out alive
Right after the crash, the first few reports made it sound like there were no survivors.
But later, officials confirmed that someone actually did make it out.
One man somehow survived
Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik told ANI: “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.”
The British-Indian survivor has spoken out
The man who lived through the crash has been identified as Vishwas Kumar Ramesh, a British-Indian national.
He shared his story with local reporters.
Speaking to the Hindustan Times, Ramesh recalled hearing a ‘loud noise’ shortly after the plane took over.
“It all happened so quickly,” he said. “When I got up, there were bodies all around me. 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 and his brother weren’t even sitting together
Ramesh mentioned that he was sitting in seat 11A.
His brother was on the same flight but was sitting in a completely different row.
So they weren’t close when the crash happened.
Air India’s chairman shared his condolences
Natarajan Chandrasekaran, the chairman of Air India, put out a statement not long after the news broke. He offered his thoughts to the people affected.
He said: “With profound sorrow I confirm that Air India flight, AI171 operating Ahmedabad London Gatwick was involved in a tragic accident today. Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of all those affected by this devastating event.
“At this moment, our primary focus is on supporting all the affected people and their families. We are doing everything in our power to assist the emergency response teams at the site and to provide all necessary support and care to those impacted.
“Further updates will be shared as we receive more verified information. An emergency centre has been activated and support team have been set up for families.”
The airline says it will support the families
Tata Group, which owns Air India, also shared a statement from Chandrasekaran.
They said they’ll be offering compensation to the families of everyone on board, and will cover medical expenses for anyone who was injured too.
