India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has met with Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, the sole survivor of the tragic Air India plane crash. Mr Ramesh, 40, miraculously escaped the disaster on Thursday, June 12, and was pictured speaking with the Prime Minister. He had been seated in 11A, next to an emergency exit, on the ill-fated flight from Ahmedabad to London, which had 242 people on board.
Recalling the terrifying ordeal, Mr Ramesh told reporters in Hindi, “I just got out of the plane, it exploded.” His brother, Nayan Kumar Ramesh, 27, expressed the family’s shock and devastation outside their Leicester home, stating, “We were just shocked as soon as we heard it.” He revealed that his brother had no idea how he managed to exit the plane, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Prime Minister Modi visited the crash site and a local hospital, meeting those affected by the tragedy. In a heartfelt message on X, he wrote, “The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. It is heartbreaking beyond words.” He assured that ministers and authorities were working to assist those affected.
The crash resulted in the loss of many lives, with 200 bodies recovered so far. Among the 242 people on board, 53 were British, and 11 were children. This tragic incident marks one of the deadliest plane crashes involving British nationals and is the first to involve a 787. There are growing concerns that the death toll on the ground may increase.
Photographs captured in the aftermath reveal fragments of the aircraft lodged in the BJ Medical College building. The catastrophe claimed the lives of at least five medical students and left around 50 injured.