Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British national seated in 11A aboard Air India Flight AI171, lived to recount the harrowing moments when the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed just seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.
The London-bound flight, carrying 242 people, including 11 children and crew, crashed into a residential complex housing doctors less than a minute after departing at 1:39 p.m. on Thursday. The impact triggered a massive fireball and left a trail of destruction and despair in the heart of Gujarat's largest city.
Lying in a general ward at Civil Hospital, Asarwa, Vishwash described the chaos that unfolded.
'Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly,' he told Hindustan Times.
Ramesh Viswashkumar, The sole survivor of the Air India crash escaped by jumping from the plane. He was on seat number 11A. #AirIndia #AhmedabadNews #Gujarat #PlaneCrash #ITReel pic.twitter.com/NsMBeZOkbX
â€" IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) June 12, 2025
He sustained injuries to his chest, eyes and feet, but managed to crawl from the debris and escape.
'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,' he recalled, clutching his boarding pass, which confirmed his assigned seat: 11A.
Vishwash, who has lived in London for two decades, had been visiting family in India. He was returning to the UK with his older brother, 45-year-old Ajay Kumar Ramesh, who was seated in another part of the aircraft.
'We visited Diu. He was travelling with me and I can't find him anymore. Please help me find him,' he pleaded.
Police Commissioner GS Malik confirmed to news agency ANI that one passenger, the individual in seat 11A, had survived.
'He is under treatment at the hospital,' Malik said.
Rescue teams continue to comb through the charred wreckage, searching for remains and survivors. Authorities have yet to release an official death toll, though visuals from the crash site show a scene of near-total devastation.
Among those reportedly on board was former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.
Air India confirmed the passenger manifest included 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian.
The Royal Family issued a statement expressing shock and offering "special prayers and deepest possible sympathy" to affected families across multiple nations.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy told the House of Commons that crisis teams have been activated in London and Delhi.
'We know that British nationals were on board, and we are working urgently with Indian authorities to provide support,' Lammy said.
The plane, a Boeing 787-8 registered as VT-ANB, was part of Air India's Dreamliner fleet. The cause of the crash remains under investigation, though aviation authorities confirmed that the aircraft issued a distress call shortly after takeoff before losing contact with air traffic control.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ordered a full investigation and instructed federal and local agencies to provide maximum support to rescue and recovery operations. The airport remains closed indefinitely, and Boeing has said it is working to gather more information as global scrutiny intensifies.
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Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/passenger-in-seat-11a-survives-deadly-air-india-crash
