That horrible scenario played out just days after a brand new Air India Dreamliner took off from Ahmedabad, headed for London. The Entebbe flight, which had 242 people on board, crashed just 30 seconds into takeoff, causing an unthinkable tragedy. British national Vishwashkumar Ramesh became the sole survivor to crawl out from the debris.
Witnesses recounted watching the plane fail to climb before a loud bang heralded catastrophe. The plane quickly crashed to earth, exploding in a massive fireball. Ramesh, sitting next to his brother that day, recalled the grim minutes immediately following the wreck. He managed to phone his father just minutes before the takeoff. A few moments after the plane had gone down, he was able to get through to him again.
Emergency responders later verified that there were actually 242 people on board. Of them, 169 were Indian nationals (including those who held OCI), 53 British citizens, 7 Portuguese nationals and 1 Canadian national. The loss of life is devastating, with thousands of families now in the deepest state of grief after losing their loved ones.
“Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed… It all happened so quickly… When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran. There were pieces of the plane all around me… Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital.” – Vishwashkumar Ramesh
India’s Civil Aviation Minister @jmcindia announced that an in-depth probe will be carried out to find out the reasons for the crash. Though details still remain scant, preliminary accounts suggest the pilot made a Mayday call just seconds before his plane went off radar with air traffic control.
Indrajeet Singh Solanki, a local resident, was among the first to reach the crash scene. The retired firefighter held back tears as he remembered the heartbreak of the tragedy and his rescue efforts to save survivors.
Shep on Unsplash Solanki focused on the impact of volunteers who responded in droves to help however they could.
“In the beginning, I couldn’t understand anything, it was only smoke everywhere. We could see some small parts (of the plane) burning… Through the smoke, we kept rescuing injured people and rushed them to the trauma centre in the civil hospital in auto rickshaws. We rushed 9 people to the hospital.” – Indrajeet Singh Solanki
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his nation mourned the tragedy. He expressed that the UK government is in constant touch with Indian authorities to provide necessary help to everyone affected by the tragedy.
“I feel bad that more than 200 people have died; it will be hard to sleep for the next few days at least. But at the time of the accident, we had only one aim – to save lives no matter what happens. There were many volunteers here. Some people came with bulldozers to offer help.” – Indrajeet Singh Solanki
Ramesh’s brother told us about his final phone call with Ramesh just before the accident. He disclosed that Ramesh had video-called their father in a panic immediately after the attack.
“Well, the images and news from India are absolutely devastating, and I speak for the entire country saying our thoughts are with each and every one of those involved.” – Keir Starmer
While investigations are ongoing into this tragic incident, millions of Americans are now left to wrestle with their emotions and fears of air travel. As Ramesh’s brother, Kripa Poudel, told reporters of his lasting fears after the wreck,
“When he was on the runway, my dad called him. And Vishwash said, oh, we’re going to take off soon. And then literally like two minutes later, he video called my dad as he crashed. He said, our plane’s crashed, 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.” – Vishwashkumar’s brother
As investigations continue into this tragic event, many are left grappling with their emotions and fears surrounding air travel. Ramesh’s brother articulated his lingering fears following the crash.
“It is a miracle that he survived. What about the other miracle, for my other brother? Just hearing about this crash. I’m scared to fly now, to even stay on a plane now.” – Vishwashkumar’s brother
