Camilla Jessen
Amid the devastation of one of India’s worst aviation disasters, a single man has emerged alive.
In a scene described as nothing short of miraculous, one passenger has survived the horrific crash of Air India Flight 171, which claimed the lives of at least 241 people.
The flight, bound for London, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12. It has been named one of the deadliest aviation tragedies in recent Indian history.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, carrying 242 people, including passengers and crew, departed Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:38 p.m. local time.
Within minutes, it slammed into a medical college campus, scattering wreckage across classrooms, rooftops, and residential areas.
The images from the crash site revealed burned-out buildings, charred bodies, and the aircraft’s tail section lodged in the collapsed wing of the college.
‘No Survivors’
In the immediate aftermath, authorities believed there were no survivors.
“It appears there are no survivors in the plane crash,” Ahmedabad Police Commissioner G.S. Malik told the Associated Press, confirming that 204 bodies had been recovered at that time.
Malik also noted that casualties likely included people on the ground due to the crash’s location in a densely populated area.
But in a dramatic turn, Malik later clarified that one person had been found alive.
“My earlier statement was misquoted. One individual has been found alive. He is currently undergoing treatment in hospital. Doctors are closely monitoring status,” he told local media.
The Miracle Survivor
The sole survivor has been identified as 40-year-old Vishwas Kumar Ramesh, a British national originally from India.
Vishwas had returned to visit family and was traveling back to London with his brother, 45-year-old Ajay Kumar Ramesh, who remains missing.
From his hospital bed, Vishwas described the terrifying moment the crash occurred.
“Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly,” he told Hindustan Times.
After the crash, Vishwas found himself surrounded by wreckage and bodies.
“When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran,” he recounted. “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.”
Holding on to his boarding pass, he now waits for news of his missing brother.
“Please help me find him,” he pleaded.