The Lone Survivor Of Air India Plane Crash | In a catastrophe that claimed 241 lives, one man—40-year-old British-Indian national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh—walked away from the smouldering remains of Air India Flight AI171. Seated in 11A, Ramesh survived what is now India’s deadliest single-aircraft disaster in decades, leaving behind a trail of death and debris after the Dreamliner slammed into a hostel at Ahmedabad’s BJ Medical College on June 12.
The Boeing 787-8 had just departed from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:38 pm, en route to London Gatwick, when it issued a Mayday call and crashed seconds later. On board were 229 passengers and 12 crew members. The impact also killed five resident doctors who were in the hostel at the time.
‘I Thought I Would Die’: Ramesh Recalls Final Moments from Seat 11A
“I don’t know how I came out of it alive,” said Mr Ramesh, speaking to Doordarshan at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital. “For a while, I thought I was about to die. But when I opened my eyes, I saw I was alive. And I opened my seat belt and got out of there.”
Seat 11A, located in the first row of the economy cabin near the emergency exit, ended up collapsing into the ground floor of the hostel building. This positioning may have spared Ramesh from the full brunt of the explosion and fire that consumed the plane’s mid and rear sections.
ALSO READ: Air India-KidZania ad hours before crash sparks theories: What the brands said
“The side where I was seated fell into the ground floor,” Ramesh recalled. “There was some space. When the door broke, I saw that space and I just jumped out.”
His brother, seated in 11J across the aisle, did not survive. “The airhostess and aunty uncle all died before my eyes,” he added.
Prime Minister Modi Meets Air India Plane Crash Survivor in Hospital
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who arrived in Ahmedabad early Friday, visited both the crash site and Ahmedabad Civil Hospital. Ramesh recounted his interaction with the PM: “He asked me what happened. I told him I don’t know how I lived. It all happened so fast.”
Ramesh’s ward is now guarded by Gujarat ATS and the local crime branch as investigations proceed. Meanwhile, aviation authorities have confirmed that the aircraft was being flown by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kundar, both of whom perished in the crash.
