A man who miraculously survived the catastrophic Air India crash that killed over 240 people has spoken to his family from his hospital bed, sharing a heartbreaking message of disbelief.
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, was one of 242 passengers and crew onboard Air India flight AI171, which crashed just minutes after takeoff from Ahmedabad, India, on its way to London Gatwick on Thursday afternoon.
Tragically, the lives of the other 241 on board were lost in the accident, including Vishwash’s older brother Ajay Kumar Ramesh, 45. Vishwash, who was sitting in seat 11A, is the only confirmed survivor and is now recovering from serious injuries in hospital.
His brother, Nayan Kumar Ramesh, told Sky News that their father was on the phone with Vishwash moments before takeoff. “He said, ‘We’re about to go,’” Nayan recalled. But just two minutes later, the unimaginable happened.
“The next thing we knew, my dad was getting a video call,” Nayan said. “Vishwash told us the plane had crashed. He didn’t know how he survived. He couldn’t see anyone else.”
Heartbreakingly, he told his family: "I don’t know how I’m alive."
The crash site, near Ahmedabad’s airport in western India, is being treated as a major disaster zone. Devastating images from the scene show towering plumes of smoke and fiery wreckage scattered near a nearby university campus, where dozens of medical students are feared to be among the dead.
Footage circulating online shows Vishwash limping away from the smouldering debris, clearly disoriented and injured, before being helped by emergency responders.
Speaking to local media, he said: “Thirty seconds after takeoff, there was a loud noise, and then we crashed. It all happened so fast. When I stood up, there were bodies everywhere. I just ran.”
He suffered injuries to his chest, eyes and feet. But in his own words, the physical wounds were nothing compared to the trauma: “I don’t even know how I got out of the plane.”
The crash has left the Ramesh family both relieved and shattered. “It’s a miracle Vishwash is alive,” said Nayan, who had been preparing to pick his brothers up from Gatwick that evening ahead of a family gathering. “But we’ve lost Ajay. It’s devastating. I’m terrified to even fly now.”
Air India has confirmed the devastating toll: 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, seven Portuguese and one Canadian were on board the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
The flight took off at 1:38pm local time and lost contact just moments later. Tracking site Flightradar24 registered the last signal at just 625 feet off the ground.
India’s aviation regulator confirmed that the pilot, Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, who had more than 8,000 hours of flying experience, issued a mayday call before contact was lost, per the London Evening Standard. Co-pilot Clive Kundar and 10 cabin crew were also on board.
Air India said in a statement (via NBC News): “At this moment, we are ascertaining the details and will share further updates at the earliest.”
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.