A British-Indian man is so far the lone survivor of the ill-fated Air India plane that crashed with 242 passengers and crew on board in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. Vishwas Kumar Ramesh, 40, spoke from his hospital bed after surviving the crash of Flight 171, which was going to Gatwick, on Thursday morning.
Ramesh was rushed to the hospital by ambulance after making it out of the wreckage. While doctors have described his physical injuries as not life-threatening, the emotional impact has been deeply significant. His brother, Ajay Kumar Ramesh, was also traveling with him but likely perished in the deadly crash. However, Vishwas is yet to speak about his brother.
Escape from the Clutches of Death
Vishwaskumar, a British citizen who was seated in 11A when the Air India Flight 171 crashed in a residential area, recalled: "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," he told local media. "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."
Ramesh sustained "impact injuries" to his chest, eyes, and feet, but managed to survive and recount the harrowing experience. In a now-viral video circulating on social media, he is seen limping away from the crash site—his clothes torn, blood streaming down his face—an image that captures the raw shock and struggle for survival.
Though originally from India, Ramesh has been living in London for the past two decades with his wife and child. What was meant to be a short visit to reconnect with family turned into a life-threatening ordeal.
His ordeal, however, didn't end with his escape. His brother, Ajay Vishwaskumar, who was also aboard Flight 171, remains unaccounted for. Meanwhile, two of Ramesh's close friends have traveled from Diu to Ahmedabad, clinging to hope while bracing for grim news.
"We don't know anything yet," a neighbor told local media. "It's chaos. They're just trying to find him."
Mayday Call
Earlier, authorities had said that they believed there were no survivors from the Air India flight that crashed in Gujarat with 242 people on board, including 53 British nationals. The regional police chief said that some local residents likely were also killed, since the aircraft came down on buildings housing doctors' offices and accommodations near a hospital.
So far, with help from the army, rescue teams have recovered 204 bodies, consisting of victims from both the aircraft and the crash site area.
Among the passengers were 159 Indian citizens, 53 from the UK, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian. Eleven children were also on board, including two newborns.
Aviation analysts suggest that Air India Flight 171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, may have suffered a sudden power failure during the most critical part of takeoff.
Potential causes under consideration include a sharp wind shift or a bird strike that could have triggered a dual engine stall.
Investigators from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau are now on-site, investigating the wreckage and working to recover the aircraft's black box for further analysis.
