Amid the plane disaster that left over 240 dead, one story managed to emerge from the tragedy: that of Vishwashkumar Ramesh, a British citizen of Indian origin who survived the crash of Air India flight AI 171, which occurred on June 12 in Ahmedabad.
The plane, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, crashed shortly after takeoff with 242 people on board. According to reports from the Associated Press, Ramesh was found alive several meters from the fuselage wreckage and was able to walk to an ambulance on his own.
His recovery is progressing in a local hospital, while his testimony begins to shed light on what happened in the seconds before impact. According to the British outlet The Guardian, Ramesh was seated in row 11A, next to an emergency exit. That location, along with the fact that he had no carry-on luggage, may have helped him escape at the exact moment the plane broke apart in mid-air.
How did he survive the crash?
Still in shock, Vishwashkumar Ramesh told local media that after takeoff, the plane began descending abruptly. That’s when the fuselage split in two, throwing him out of the aircraft before a violent explosion.
Injured, he managed to stand up among debris and scattered bodies, not fully understanding how he had survived. “When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I got up and ran,” he later told the Hindustan Times. According to witnesses and footage from Indian media, he was seen bloodied walking away from the scene as people ran after him. However, it has also been mentioned that it was thanks to the help of others that Ramesh was able to escape the wreckage and be taken away by ambulance.
Ramesh, who still had his boarding pass with him when he was hospitalized, was able to communicate via video call with his father to tell him he was alive. In statements reported by Sky News, his younger brother said that Vishwash could only manage to say: “I don’t know how I’m alive, how I got out of the plane.”
What is known about the crash and why it was so devastating
The flight was bound for London Gatwick, but a severe mechanical failure caused it to crash just minutes after takeoff. According to CNN and the BBC, the crew reported a loss of cabin pressure and issues with the electrical control system, as well as an explosion in the left wing.
The plane ultimately crashed into a building at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, where medical students and on-duty staff were present. Local media report that at least 20 people on the ground also died.
Indian authorities are working alongside the U.S. NTSB and Boeing specialists to determine whether human error, technical failures, or both were to blame. Meanwhile, Air India confirmed that 241 people died and only one survived, making this the deadliest accident in the airline’s history since 1996.
As the investigation continues, the case of Vishwashkumar Ramesh has sparked global shock.
Image: Opinion
