Viswashkumar Ramesh, the sole survivor of the devastating Air India Flight 171 crash in Ahmedabad, has recounted the harrowing moments that led to his miraculous escape. The London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner, carrying 242 souls, crashed shortly after takeoff on Thursday, June 12, 2025, leaving a trail of devastation and claiming the lives of 241 people, including passengers and crew, along with several individuals on the ground.
Ramesh, a 40-year-old businessman from Leicester, United Kingdom, was seated in 11A when disaster struck. Speaking from his hospital bed at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, he described a terrifying sequence of events. Moments after takeoff, the aircraft's lights began to flicker erratically. Within seconds, the plane felt as if it was "stuck in the air," struggling to gain altitude. The lights continued to flicker, alternating between green and white, creating an unsettling atmosphere inside the cabin.
Suddenly, the plane slammed into a building near the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College and Civil Hospital, resulting in a catastrophic explosion. The impact tore the Dreamliner's body apart, sending flames racing through the mid-section of the aircraft. According to Ramesh, the section of the plane where he was seated landed near the ground, which he believes was crucial to his survival. He recounted that the door near him broke open, creating a space through which he could escape.
Acting quickly, Ramesh unbuckled his seatbelt and used his leg to push through the opening. He managed to crawl out of the shattered fuselage just in time, moments before the flames engulfed the wreckage. "I still don't understand how I escaped," he said, expressing his disbelief at surviving the horrific ordeal. Video clips from the crash site show him stumbling away from the wreckage, bloodied and dazed, crying out in Gujarati, "Plane fatyo che!" (The plane exploded).
Ramesh suffered head injuries and burns but miraculously managed to walk away from the wreckage. He recalls seeing the lifeless bodies of air hostesses and other passengers near him. "I saw people dying in front of my eyes," he recounted, adding that he felt as if he was going to die too. However, when he opened his eyes and looked around, he realized he was still alive. "I still can't believe how I survived. I walked out of the rubble," he said.
Dr. Dhaval Gameti, who treated Ramesh at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, said he was disoriented and had multiple injuries all over his body. However, he confirmed that Ramesh was out of danger. The survivor's escape is nothing short of a miracle, especially considering the intensity of the crash and the subsequent fire.
The Air India crash has sent shockwaves around the world, prompting investigations into the cause of the disaster. Authorities have recovered the black box from the crash site, which should provide valuable information to investigators.
