Crash survivor Photo: Daily Mail
Photo: Daily Mail
British-Indian plane crash survivor Viswashkumar Ramesh called his family to say he was ‘fine’ after fleeing the burning aircraft, his cousin has revealed.
Ajay Valgi, from Leicester, has narrated how the family received a video call from a bloodied Vishwash, 38, after he walked away from the smoking wreckage of the Air India flight.
But while they have heard from the eldest brother, his younger sibling Ajaykumar Ramesh – who was also on the flight – has not been in touch since the jet came down seconds after take-off.
Cousin Ajay told the BBC: ‘I’m feeling absolutely upset. He’s not just my cousin, he’s also one of my best friends as well.
‘They were sitting next to each other, but we don’t know what happened to [Ajaykumar].
‘We’re not doing well. We’re all upset,’ he added.
Thursday morning, the Gatwick-bound plane carrying 242 passengers, including 53 British nationals, crashed just moments after take-off from Ahmedabad Airport in the northwestern Indian state of Gujarat.
The confirmed death toll has climbed to at least 290 people, according to police.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner careened down to earth in the densely populated Meghani area of the city just minutes after leaving the runway around 1.40pm local time (8.10am BST) and crashed on the canteen of a medical school.
About 290 people were feared dead including persons affected on ground.
Additional report: Dailymail.uk
