Here's what we know
- An Air India plane carrying 242 people crashed today near a major international airport in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, the airline and the country’s government said.
- The airline confirmed that 241 people aboard were killed. There was only one survivor.
- The sole survivor was identified as a British national of Indian origin. The Hindustan Times reports that the 40-year-old man told them, “Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly.”
- The plane struck a medical school hostel, killing at least one person on the ground. At least seven people are missing and over 50 from the building were hospitalized.
- Twelve crew members were among the 242 people aboard the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner when it crashed into a residential area just before 5 a.m. ET. The passenger breakdown was 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian national, Air India said.
Survivor is in shock but doing well, hospital says
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, the only passenger to survive the crash, is doing well in the hospital without oxygen support, according to Dr. Rakesh Joshi of Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad.
"He is psychologically disturbed, though," Joshi said, later clarifying that the man is in shock and dealing with the effects of not only surviving a plane crash but also of losing his brother in the crash.
Joshi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi plans to meet with hospital staff members tomorrow.
Air India crash survivor speaks with reporter in hospital
Sky News reporter Neville Lazarus was able to talk briefly to the survivor of the India Air Flight 171 crash. Lazarus said the man told him he was “OK,” but appeared to be mentally traumatized.
Lazarus spoke briefly and off camera to Vishwash Kumar Ramesh inside the hospital in Ahmedabad where he is being treated. Lazarus said that aside from bruises on his arms, he looked fine. He was conscious, sitting up and nodded when Lazarus spoke to him.
Sole survivor of crash called his dad just after plane went down, brother says
The sole survivor of the Air India crash, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, spoke to his father just before takeoff, his family says.
Minutes later, he called his father back to say the plane crashed. He said he was having trouble finding his brother, with whom he was traveling, the survivor's other brother, Nayan Kumar Ramesh, told NBC News' European partner Sky News.
"I don’t know where my brother is, I don’t see any other passengers. I don’t know how I’m alive, how I exited the plane," Nayan Kumar Ramesh reported his brother saying.
He said he has "no words to describe" the crash, which claimed the lives of everyone on board — except for Vishwash Kumar Ramesh.
"This is a miracle that he survived," Nayan said of Vishwash. "But what about the other miracle for my other brother?"
241 people killed in crash, only one person survived, Air India says
Air India said that of the 242 people aboard Flight 171, all but one person died.
The airline confirmed in a statement that the only survivor was a British national of Indian origin.
"The 12-year-old Boeing 787-8 aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 1338 hrs, carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew," the statement said. "The aircraft crashed shortly after take-off. We regret to inform that, of the 242 aboard, there are 241 confirmed fatalities. The sole survivor is being treated in a hospital."
"Air India offers its deepest condolences to the families of the deceased. Our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of all those affected, their families and loved ones," the airline said. "A team of caregivers from Air India is now in Ahmedabad to provide additional support. Air India is giving its full cooperation to the authorities investigating this incident."
Video shows entire flight and crash of Air India plane
Surveillance footage captured the moment that Air India Flight 171 crashed shortly after takeoff in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad. More than 200 people were killed when the aircraft crashed into a residential area near the international airport.
India launches investigation into plane crash
A formal investigation has been opened by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) into the Air India plane crash.
The investigation is in line with international protocols set by the International Civil Aviation Organization, India’s Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said on X.
The government will also have a committee of experts from multiple disciplines to investigate the case.
“The committee will work to strengthen aviation safety and prevent such incidents in future,” Kinjarapu said.
India's home minister says he's met with survivor of crash
India's Minister of Home Affairs, Amit Shah, told reporters today that one passenger aboard Air India 171 “fortunately survived, and I have met him.”
He did not disclose details on that passenger's condition.
“The entire country is in shock, and stands with the kin of those who have lost their lives,” Shah said. “On behalf of the Prime Minister, the central government and the Gujarat government, I pay my tributes to those who have lost their lives in this incident.”
Shah said he spoke with government officials within 10 minutes of the crash, and central and state governments are involved in the rescue operation.
Video shows survivor of deadly Air India plane crash
British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a survivor of the deadly Air India plane crash, is seen bloodied and limping following the catastrophe.
British national who survived crash was traveling with his brother, family says
The only known survivor of the plane crash in India was traveling with his brother, according to relatives in the U.K.
The family of British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh have told NBC’s partner in the U.K., Sky News, that they have not heard from another relative they believe was also on the flight.
A flight manifest seen by NBC News shows that U.K. national Mr. Ajay Kumar Ramesh was in seat 11J.
