A British national, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, emerged as the sole survivor of a catastrophic Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad on Thursday, which claimed the lives of at least 204 people, authorities confirmed.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, operating as Flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed shortly after takeoff at 1:38 p.m. local time, plunging into a residential area in Meghani Nagar near Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.
Ahmedabad Police Commissioner G.S. Malik reported that Ramesh, a 40-year-old passenger seated in 11A, was found alive amid the wreckage and is receiving treatment at Civil Hospital in Asarwa.
“The police found one survivor in seat 11A. One survivor has been found in the hospital and is under treatment,” Malik told ANI.
Ramesh suffered impact injuries to his chest, eyes, and feet, according to a Hindustan Times report.
He recounted to News18, “There were bodies all around me, there were pieces of the plane all around me. Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance.”
The flight carried 242 people, including 230 passengers and 12 crew members, with 169 Indians, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian on board, per the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. The aircraft, piloted by Captain Sumit Sabharwal with 8,200 hours of experience and co-pilot Clive Kunder with 1,100 hours, issued a mayday call moments before the crash, according to air traffic control reports cited by NDTV.
The plane fell from 825 feet, crashing into a medical college hostel, killing five students and causing significant ground casualties.
Rescue operations involving 90 emergency workers retrieved 30 to 35 bodies from the site, Reuters reported, with thick black smoke and flames visible in social media footage.
Many bodies at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital’s trauma center were severely burnt and unidentifiable.
The crash, the first fatal incident involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, prompted the suspension of Ahmedabad airport operations.
Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu called the incident “tragic” and “horrific,” confirming the death of former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who was among the passengers.
The Tata Group, Air India’s parent company, announced Rs 1 crore compensation for victims’ families. The cause of the crash remains under investigation, with Boeing and GE Aerospace assisting Indian authorities.
