A British national, Vishwashkumar Ramesh, 40, is the lone survivor of the Air India flight AI171 crash in Ahmedabad, western India, that killed at least 200 people in one of the country’s worst aviation disasters in decades.
He was seated in 11A on the London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which crashed shortly after takeoff on Thursday.
The aircraft, carrying 242 passengers and crew, slammed into a residential complex just minutes after departure from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.
Ramesh was seen walking away from the wreckage toward an ambulance, covered in blood, as smoke billowed behind him.
He is currently receiving treatment in a hospital, where he was visited by Indian Interior Minister Amit Shah. Local authorities confirmed his identity after he shared his boarding pass.
In the UK, members of Vishwaskumar’s family have expressed shock and disbelief.
Speaking from Leicester, his younger brother Nayan Kumar Ramesh, 27, said, “We were just shocked. I last spoke to him yesterday morning. He said, ‘I have no idea how I exited the plane.’”
Another family member, Jay, told the Press Association that Ramesh called his father from the hospital after the crash.
“He was covered in blood. He asked, ‘Where’s Ajay?’” Jay added, “He’s doing well physically, but mentally it’s a big shock. We don’t have words”, as quoted in a report by Mirror Now.
Ramesh, who was born in India and has lived in the UK for 20 years, was travelling with other relatives. His cousin remains unaccounted for.
Ramesh was said to have been visiting family in India and was returning to the UK with his elder brother, Ajay Kumar Ramesh, 45.
However, Ajay has not been located since the incident. “He was travelling with me, and I can’t find him anymore,” Vishwaskumar reportedly told rescue personnel, as quoted in a report by Mirror Now.
Bodies all around me – Ramesh
In a chilling account, Ramesh recalled the moments after the crash. “I was scared. I stood up and ran. There were bodies all around me,” he said, as quoted in a report by Hindustan Times. “There were pieces of the plane scattered everywhere.”
He added that an unidentified person helped him into an ambulance that rushed him to the hospital.
Narrating how the crash happened, he added, “Thirty seconds after takeoff, there was a loud noise and the plane crashed. It all happened so fast- when I got up, I was surrounded by bodies.”
His chest, eyes, and feet bore “impact injuries,” but he lived to tell the tale.
In the viral video now making rounds on social media, Ramesh can be seen limping away from the wreckage, clothes torn, blood streaking down his face—an image etched with trauma and raw survival.
Local media reported that two of Ramesh’s friends have rushed to Ahmedabad from Diu, hoping for another miracle and fearing the worst. “We don’t know anything yet,” a neighbour told reporters. “It’s chaos. They’re just trying to find him.”
Ramesh was rushed to a hospital by ambulance soon after escaping the wreckage. Doctors have termed his injuries non-life-threatening, but the emotional toll is anything but minor.
Investigations into the cause of the crash are ongoing, and officials have yet to determine the reason for the aircraft’s failure shortly after takeoff.
Minister of Civil Aviation, Ram Mohan Naidu said that a formal investigation has been initiated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation following the crash. “The investigation will be in line with international protocols set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation,” he said.
On his part, Boeing Chief Executive Officer, Kelly Ortberg, said that the Boeing team stands ready to support the investigation into the crash.
Concerns over Boeing planes
More than 240 people were killed in the crash, making it the deadliest aviation disaster in the world in the past decade.
Air India has stated it will compensate the families. The UK is sending an investigation team, but determining the cause of the tragedy will take time.
Air India confirmed that 242 passengers and crew were aboard, including 169 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian national and 11 children.
However, Indian civil aviation officials reported the number as 244, a discrepancy yet to be reconciled.
It is considered to be one of the safest aircraft.
The country’s deadliest aviation disaster occurred in 1996 when a mid-air collision over Haryana killed 349 people.
The Max version of Boeing’s best-selling 737 aeroplane has been the source of persistent troubles for Boeing after two of the jets crashed. The crashes, one in Indonesia in 2018 and another in Ethiopia in 2019, killed 346.
The problem stemmed from a sensor providing faulty readings that pushed the nose down, leaving pilots unable to regain control.
After the second crash, Max jets were grounded worldwide until the company redesigned the system.
Last month, the Justice Department reached a deal to allow Boeing to avoid criminal prosecution for allegedly misleading U.S. regulators about the Max before the two crashes.
Worries about the plane flared up again after a door plug blew off a Max operated by Alaska Airlines, leading regulators to cap Boeing’s production at 38 jets per month.
The crash comes days before the Paris Air Show, raising fresh scrutiny of Boeing, which is still recovering from past 737 Max disasters. Shares of Boeing Co. fell nearly 9% in pre-market trading following the news.
About the Boeing 787 Dreamliner
The 787 Dreamliner is a wide-body, twin-engined plane.
The 787-8 typically holds 248 passengers, and the larger and longer-range 787-9 carries 296 people. The largest variant, the 787-10, which also has the smallest range, has 336 seats, according to Boeing data.
The aircraft, a sleek 11.5-year-old marvel built in Seattle, had first taken to the skies in December 2013 and joined Air India’s fleet in January 2014.
It’s reported that this is the first time in history that a B-787 Dreamliner plane has crashed.
Its history was typical for a plane of its age: over 41,000 flying hours, nearly 8,000 takeoffs and landings, and about 700 cycles in the past year, as shown by data shared by Cirium, an aviation data firm, with NDTV Profit.
One of 1,148 Boeing 787s globally, it was part of a fleet averaging just 7.5 years in age, representing the cutting edge of commercial aviation.
Air India, with 34 of these Dreamliners in service and 20 more on order, was racing to modernise its fleet, 190 aircraft strong, averaging just over eight years old. But beneath the veneer of progress lurked the question: was maintenance keeping pace?
The aircraft’s extensive use, with an average of nearly 700 cycles annually, hinted at the relentless grind of operational demands.
As the aircraft lifted off Ahmedabad’s runway, something went wrong. Heavy black smoke was seen coming from the accident site, the DGCA said in a statement. Investigators scrambled to unravel what caused the aircraft, built for safety, to fall from the sky at an altitude of 625 feet.
World leaders react
Shortly after the crash, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on X, “The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. It is heartbreaking beyond words.
“In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it. Have been in touch with Ministers and authorities who are working to assist those affected.”
On his part, the U.S. President, Donald Trump, said: “The plane crash was terrible. They (India) will handle it, I am sure, but I let them know that anything we can do, we’ll be over there immediately.”
“That is a terrible crash. It’s one of the worst in aviation history.”
On his part, the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, wrote on X, “The scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating.
“I am being kept updated as the situation develops, and my thoughts are with the passengers and their families at this deeply distressing time.”
King Charles also wrote on X: “My wife and I have been desperately shocked by the terrible events in Ahmedabad this (Thursday) morning. Our special prayers and deepest possible sympathy are with the families and friends of all those affected by this appallingly tragic incident across so many nations, as they await news of their loved ones.”
Also, Pakistan Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, said on X: “Saddened by the tragic crash of Air India flight near Ahmedabad today. We extend our condolences to the families of the victims grieving this immense loss.”
