British survivor walks away from deadly air disaster.
In a harrowing and nearly unimaginable outcome, a British man has emerged as the sole survivor of a devastating plane crash in India that claimed 241 lives. Vishwashkumar Ramesh had been seated in 11A on an Air India Boeing 787 flight headed to London when the aircraft went down shortly after take-off in Ahmedabad, located in the western Indian state of Gujarat.
Ramesh’s brother, Nayan Kumar Ramesh, told the BBC that the survivor remains stunned and unable to explain how he managed to escape the wreckage. He added that Vishwashkumar was consumed with concern for his other brother, Ajay, who was also on board the doomed flight and remains unaccounted for. “He has no idea how he survived,” Nayan said. “He just kept saying, ‘Find Ajay, find Ajay.’ That’s all he cares about now.”
According to Air India, none of the other passengers or crew made it out alive. Video shared on social media shows Mr Ramesh walking toward an ambulance while thick smoke billows from the crash site in the background.
A relative, identified as Jay, spoke to the PA news agency and described Mr Ramesh’s condition: “He has injuries on his face and was covered in blood, but he’s doing okay now. It’s an enormous shock.”
Doctors treating him in hospital confirmed that Ramesh was suffering from multiple injuries and appeared disoriented, but they reassured reporters that he was not in critical danger. He later received a visit from India’s interior minister, Amit Shah, as he recovered in hospital.
Reports in Indian media indicate that Mr Ramesh shared his boarding pass, confirming his identity and seat number. Originally from India, he has lived in the UK since 2003 and is married with a four-year-old son.
The crash site, near accommodation for medical trainees, erupted in flames less than a minute after the flight left Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The cause of the crash remains unclear, and investigations are ongoing. It is also not known how many people on the ground may have perished.
King Charles issued a heartfelt message, expressing his and Queen Camilla’s “deep shock” and extending “special prayers and deepest sympathy” to those affected. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer echoed these sentiments, calling the incident “devastating,” while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi described it as “heart-breaking beyond words.”
In response, Foreign Secretary David Lammy activated crisis response teams in both the UK and India and chaired an emergency COBRA meeting. London Gatwick Airport, where the flight was scheduled to land, has established a reception centre to assist concerned relatives.
The plane, identified as flight AI171, was meant to land in London at 18:25 BST. Verified footage has since emerged showing the aircraft plummeting before erupting in a massive explosion upon impact.
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