A British man is the only known survivor of an Air India passenger plane crash on Thursday that authorities say resulted in more than 200 deaths.
Vishwashkumar Ramesh was filmed walking away from the wreckage of the crash in a residential area in the Indian city of Ahmedabad, where the plane went down shortly after its departure.
The flight, AI171, was headed for England’s London Gatwick Airport on a Boeing 787-7 aircraft.
Of the 242 passengers and crew members on board, 169 were Indian nationals, 53 were British nationals, one was a Canadian national and seven were Portuguese nationals, according to Air India.
A doctor at a nearby hospital, Dhaval Gameti, told The Associated Press that he examined Ramesh, who “was disoriented with multiple injuries all over his body.”
“But he seems to be out of danger,” Gameti added.
Ramesh’s brother told the BBC about the survivor: “He said, ‘I have no idea how I exited the plane.’”
Ramesh has a wife and “little boy” at home, the AP reported, citing an interview with Ramesh’s cousin, Ajay Valgi.
A top police officer said at least 240 people, including those on the ground, were killed in the crash, the AP reported.
Ahmedabad police commissioner G.S. Malik earlier said 204 bodies had been recovered from the site but that rescue workers were still searching through the debris, The New York Times reported.
Malik also told the AP that he didn’t expect to find survivors.
“It appears there are no survivors in the plane crash,” Malik told the news service.
Local news outlets showed images of smoke surrounding the crash site, according to the AP, which reported that it appeared to be in a populated area near the airport. Firefighters responded to the crash, dousing the plane and surrounding building with water.
Malik said because the crash was in a populated area, “some locals would have also died.”
“Exact figures on casualties are being ascertained,” he added.
India’s health minister, Jagat Prakash Nadda, said “many people” had been killed, calling the news “extremely tragic.”
Air India said those injured were taken to the nearest hospitals.
“The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. It is heartbreaking beyond words,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on the social platform X. “In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also expressed his sympathies.
“The scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating,” he wrote on X. “I am being kept updated as the situation develops, and my thoughts are with the passengers and their families at this deeply distressing time.”
NewsNation reported that the passenger jet gave a mayday call to air traffic control shortly after takeoff but then gave no response. The aircraft’s signal went down seconds after the plane lifted off, when it reached 625 feet, according to Flight Radar.
Boeing said in a statement that the company officials are “in contact” with the airline and “stand ready to support them.”
“Our thoughts are with the passengers, crew, first responders and all affected,” Boeing added in a statement.
Updated at 2:57 p.m. EDT