In a tragedy that has gripped both India and the UK, a lone survivor has emerged from the wreckage of an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on Thursday, killing 260 people. The London-bound flight, carrying 242 passengers and crew, exploded into a fireball moments after leaving Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, devastating a nearby medical hostel and leaving families shattered.
After rescue teams spent the night combing through the smouldering debris with sniffer dogs, a glimmer of hope arrived. Gujarat state health department’s Principal Secretary Dhananjay Dwivedi confirmed that one person had miraculously survived the crash of Air India Flight 171.
“One survivor is confirmed and is currently receiving treatment at a local hospital,” Dwivedi told reporters, though further details were withheld.
The identity of the survivor was soon revealed as Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British national from Leicester, UK. Social media footage captured the stunned, bloodied man limping toward an ambulance, his boarding pass confirming he had been seated in 11A. Ramesh was one of 53 British citizens on board.
“I have no idea how I exited the plane,” Ramesh reportedly told his brother, Nayan Kumar Ramesh, in a phone call relayed to Britain’s Press Association. The BBC also spoke to a family cousin, Ajay Valgi, who confirmed Ramesh had called home to say he was “fine.”
A Nation in Mourning
India’s Home Minister Amit Shah, a lawmaker from Gujarat state, visited the crash site and later met Ramesh in hospital. “I am pained beyond words by this tragedy,” Shah told reporters. He expressed both sorrow for the devastating loss of life and relief at the survivor’s remarkable story.
The crash, which claimed lives both on board and in the medical staff hostel it struck, is one of India’s deadliest aviation disasters in recent years. The fully-fueled aircraft was en route to London’s Gatwick Airport when it exploded in a burst of flames, videos of the accident show.
Air India is organizing emergency relief flights from New Delhi and Mumbai to Ahmedabad for the victims’ next of kin and airline staff. Many grieving relatives will now face the harrowing task of identifying loved ones.
Authorities have established DNA testing facilities at BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad to help confirm the identities of those lost. “Families and close relatives of the passengers, particularly parents and children, are urged to submit DNA samples at the earliest,” Dwivedi said.
An Outpouring of Grief and a Flicker of Hope
As stories of heartbreaking loss continue to surface — elderly parents visiting children abroad, families returning home, newlyweds starting new lives — the survival of Vishwash Kumar Ramesh has offered a rare moment of solace amid profound grief.
An investigation into the cause of the crash is underway, with aviation authorities and safety experts expected to release initial findings in the coming days.
