AHMEDABAD, June 13 – Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, the sole survivor of Wednesday’s Air India crash that killed all 241 others on board, received a hospital visit from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi today as investigations continue into one of India’s worst aviation disasters.
The British national, who escaped through an emergency exit after Flight AI171 plowed into a medical college moments after takeoff, recounted to Modi how “thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed.”
Modi spent Friday consoling families of victims – including relatives of former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani who perished in the crash – while touring the wreckage site where the Boeing 787 Dreamliner tore through classrooms, killing at least five medical students.
“This unimaginable tragedy has left us heartbroken,” Modi posted on X after meeting Rupani’s family, remembering his decades-long colleague as “humble, hardworking and ideologically committed.”
As international investigators arrive from Britain and the US, early speculation points to possible engine failure or incorrect wing flap settings. The disaster has particularly shaken Britain’s Gujarati community after three Wellingborough residents were confirmed among the dead.
Air India’s parent company Tata Group pledged 10 million rupees (£86,000) compensation per victim’s family, while the airline established assistance centers at four airports to help relatives travel to Ahmedabad.
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