“Bodies of Uncle-Aunties, Air Hostesses...”: Lone Survivor Recounts Air India Crash Horror

In a tragedy that claimed 241 lives, including 12 crew members, one man walked out alive.

Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British citizen of Indian origin, miraculously escaped what has become one of the deadliest aviation disasters in India’s recent history. The 34-year-old, who was on board Air India Flight AI-171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, is the sole survivor of the deadly plane crash that occurred on Thursday, June 12.

Speaking to Doordarshan just moments after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited the crash site and hospital on Friday, Vishwash recounted every terrifying second of the crash - and the miracle that let him live to tell the tale.

“The side where I was sitting wasn’t on the hostel side, it was the ground floor of the hostel. I don’t know about others, but the place I was sitting - that portion landed on the ground floor, and there was some space. As soon as my door broke, I saw that there was some space, and then I tried to get out, and I got out,” he said, his voice trembling with emotion.

“There was a building wall on the opposite side, and the plane had crashed completely on that side, so probably that is why nobody could get out from that side. There was space only where I was. I don’t know how I survived,” he continued. “When the fire broke out, my left hand also got burned. Then I was admitted to the hospital. People here are treating me well. People are very nice here.”

Vishwash had been seated on 11-A — a part of the plane that landed directly on the ground floor of the resident doctors' hostel the aircraft crashed into, just moments after takeoff. That sliver of collapsed structure left just enough room for him to escape.

“PM Modi asked me about the incident. It all happened in front of my eyes. I couldn’t even believe how I was saved. For instance, I thought I would also die. But when I opened my eyes, I was alive. I removed my seat belt and escaped from there. Bodies of uncle-aunties and air hostesses were there…” he said.

Describing the harrowing seconds before the crash, he said: “After takeoff, for 5–10 seconds, we felt like everything was stuck. Green and white lights were turned on in the plane. I think the plane’s speed was increased for takeoff, and it crashed into the hostel’s building. It all happened in front of my eyes.”

#WATCH | DD News held an exclusive conversation with #Vishwashkumar, the only survivor of the Ahmedabad plane crash.#planecrashahmedabad #AirIndiaFlightCrash |@neerajddnews pic.twitter.com/tGD2VOVFkr

— DD News (@DDNewslive) June 13, 2025

Flight AI-171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner carrying 241 people including 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, 7 Portuguese, and 1 Canadian national, crashed into the doctors’ hostel adjacent to the airport perimeter shortly after departing at 1:39 PM IST from Runway 23 of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.

The aircraft was being operated by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a seasoned Line Training Captain with over 8,200 hours of flight experience, assisted by First Officer Clive Kundar, who had clocked 1,100 hours. According to ATC, the plane had issued a Mayday call but lost communication shortly thereafter.
Prime Minister Modi, who reviewed the crash site and visited the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, met with Vishwash and other injured individuals and assured all possible support.

Also Read: Air India Flight 171 Crash: Tata Group Announces ₹1 Crore Compensation Per Victim