The Air India crash this morning looks set to go down as one of the most horrifying aviation disasters of modern times. Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, was travelling from Ahmedabad, India, to London Gatwick, United Kingdom, and crashed shortly after take-off at 13:38. To rub salt into the wound, the plane crashed into a dense urban area, specifically a building providing accommodation for doctors.
Video footage of the crash shows a colossal fireball, caused by the plane being full of fuel for its flight around the world and, in initial reports, the local police commissioner said there “appears to be no survivors” from the 242 passengers and crew.
This man walking in white shirt Mr. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, Seat 11 A has survived the today's Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. It's a miracle. He is the only one survivor confirmed by Ahmedabad Police. Thanks God. pic.twitter.com/gGLgt479m5
— Licypriya Kangujam (@LicypriyaK) June 12, 2025
But, incredibly, one man not only survived the crash, but also walked away from the wreckage with minor injuries. The sole survivor is 40-year-old British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who lives in London and was in India visiting family. The Hindustan Times briefly spoke to him, and he gave his first-hand account of what happened:
“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.”
Aircraft crash survivors are generally sitting towards the back of the plane, though Ramesh was in 11A, the front row of economy. He was also immediately next to an emergency exit, which doubtless aided his escape from the wreckage. Even so, it’s frankly miraculous that anyone can survive, let alone walk away, from a crash like this.
What’s next?
MIRACLE IN SEAT 11A: SOLE SURVIVOR SPEAKS AFTER #PLANECRASH
— Turbine Traveller (@Turbinetraveler) June 12, 2025#AI171
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, the only survivor, recalls a loud boom just 30 seconds after takeoff before the plane nosedived.
"Someone grabbed me, put me in an ambulance, and brought me to the hospital."#BREAKING… pic.twitter.com/arFlHcyf1v
Ramesh’s wife and children are reportedly in London and doubtless dizzy with relief that he’s alive and with only minor injuries. But, tragically, this is not a truly happy story. Ramesh’s brother was sitting in the seat next to him and remains unaccounted for.
We can barely imagine the psychological impact of being the sole survivor of a disaster of this magnitude. Social media is already dubbing him the “luckiest man in the world”, though given that he’s apparently just lost his brother, we doubt he feels the same way. Whatever the case, we can only hope he gets the psychological support he’s going to need over the coming weeks and can be reunited with his family in London as soon as possible.
That said, we really don’t envy him inevitably having to fly back to London, as after this I wouldn’t blame him for never wanting to see a passenger jet again, never mind fly on one.
