Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British man id as sole survivor of Air India plane crash flying with 242 people on board after crashing moments after take off in the city of Ahmedabad. Flight 171 was bound for Gatwick when tragedy occurred. Survivor who lives in London describes how he survived.
What were the odds? A British man flying on an Air India plane that suddenly crashed moments after takeoff is believed to be the sole survivor in the tragedy that claimed the lives of 241 other people on board (the plane had taken off with 232 passengers and 10 crew) along with 5 on the ground.
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, escaped almost certain death after telling rescue workers he’d jumped off the Gatwick-bound plane, Flight 171, Thursday afternoon as it burst into flames in the Indian city of Ahmedabad.
Wtf. 787 air India plane crash. Looks like no flaps but gear down? Surely they didn’t put the wrong lever up?! They aren’t that close and the feel and actions are different. pic.twitter.com/5w5P3LkEOU
— Lee Halford (@Lee_Halford) June 12, 2025
British passenger sitting in seat 11A describes how he survived Air India plane crash
Video shows a man walking away (with a slight limp – see video below) from what is thought to be the site of the plane crash in a residential area, after the plane crashing into a building for medical students.
Separate footage shows him being treated in hospital for what appears to be minor injuries.
Vishwash, who was in seat 11A on the doomed plane, said he lived in London for 20 years with his wife and child.
He told the Hindustan Times: ‘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.’
BREAKING: A man who reportedly survived the plane crash in Ahmedabad has been named by Indian media as British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh.
Family members have confirmed to Sky he was on board the flight and have spoken to him since.
Latest: https://t.co/MPnV3FHVub pic.twitter.com/KSWBAsQSyb
— Sky News (@SkyNews) June 12, 2025
📢 CONFIRMED: One miraculous survivor in the #PlaneCrash, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, Seat 11A 🥳
He recalls a loud boom just 30 seconds after takeoff. The plane nosedived. He survived. STOOD UP. WALKED OUT.
~ God has plans 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/t66H80Ur0I— The Analyzer (News Updates🗞️) (@Indian_Analyzer) June 12, 2025
Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner took off with 242 on board
Gujarat’s police commissioner has confirmed that one person has survived the crash, which happened seconds after take off at 1.39 p.m, Thursday afternoon.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was headed to London Gatwick with 232 passengers and 10 crew on board when it crashed seconds after take-off.
The passengers included 159 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese, and a Canadian. Eleven of those on board were children.
A video of the incident circulating online shows the Air India aircraft flying over a residential area before crashing, creating a huge fireball followed by large plumes of black smoke.
What caused Air India plane to crash?
Images of the aftermath of the crash showed parts of the plane embedded into a residential building as firefighters continued to tackle the smoke.
Pieces of the aircraft’s landing gear, fuselage and tail could all be seen protruding from the building.
Tata Group, the parent company of Air India, said it would provide 10 million rupees (around $116,859 USD) to the families of those who were killed in the crash.
The company said it would also cover the medical costs of those injured and provide support in the ‘building up’ of the medical college the plane crashed into.
Local media outlets reported the plane crashed on top of the canteen at B J Medical College.
Divyansh Singh, vice president of the Federation of All India Medical Association, told AP at least five medical students had been killed and around 50 were injured after the plane collided with the college.
Authorities have yet to say what may have led to the catastrophic plane crash, with possible theories including the plane hitting birds upon immediate take off to structural failure. Investigators say it will take 1 to 2 years to come to a full understanding of what caused Air India flight 171 to crash.
