Of 242 people on board Air India Flight 171 When the plane crashed in Ahmedabad the moment it took off, only one person was believed to have survived. One day later, survivor, British national Viswash Kumar Rameshtalked about the moment when the plane “stagnated” in the air and how he escaped from seat 11A and walked out of the wreckage with his burned hands.
“It's all happening before my eyes. I don't believe (know) how I survived,” Ramesh, 40, said on a hospital bed on Friday. “For some time, I thought I would die too. But when I opened my eyes, I realized I was still alive. … In front of my eyes, the mistress of the air and the others (dead).
Vishawashkumar Ramesh, the only survivor of the Air India plane crash, was interviewed on his hospital bed in Ahmedabad. / Credit: Doordashan/Reuters
Ramesh's cousin Ajay Valgi, sitting next to him in the flight, said he told CBS news partner Network News after talking to Ramesh on the phone. The whereabouts of the brothers are unknown.
“After taking off, within a minute it felt like the plane was stuck (in the air) lasted for 5 to 10 seconds,” Ramesh said. “The green and white (cabin) lights in the flight were turned on. I might feel the engine's rapid increase, but it crashed into (buildings) at speed.”
Once he realized what was going on, he said he tried to untire from his seat and get out of his seat. Local media who spoke to him said he had a plane ticket showing him sitting in 11A, police confirmed. This is on the door of the exit rowing.
The infographic shows the seating plan of the Indian Air Boeing 787 Dreamliner, located in seat 11A, with the only survivor sitting on flight AI171 when it crashed on June 12, 2025.
Ramesh said he sat on one side of the plane – the left side of the plane, forward – landed on the ground floor of the building, the hotel where medical students live.
“I could see that there was space outside the plane, so when my door broke, I tried to escape some space, and I did,” he said. “On the other side is the building wall, so no one can escape. …I don't know how I escaped.”
Airplane, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamlinerdescent shortly after departure at 1:38 pm local time. It plans to land at London's Gatwick Airport, but site tracking site Flight Radar said it stopped receiving signals from the plane just seconds after the plane took off and reached only 625 feet before it started to descent.
have Video showing the plane Before the building disappeared, flight was low before the building disappeared and saw a huge explosion. The plane itself did not appear to have caught fire or exploded before it exploded.
The vice president of the All India Medical Association Federation told the Associated Press that part of the plane attacked the dining area of the BJ Medical College. At least five medical students were killed and nearly 50 were injured in the building. The footage of the consequences shows the plates and cups filled with food and drinks on the table, covered with debris.
“Are you leaving?” a reporter asked Ramesh, who replied, “Yes.”
“My left hand was burned when the fire broke out,” Ramesh said. “And an ambulance took me to the hospital.”
Dr Dhaval Gameti of Ahmedabad Civil Hospital told the Associated Press that while Ramesh “has multiple injuries all over his body…he doesn't seem to be dangerous.” According to the Times of India, Ramesh suffered “impact injuries” from his chest, face and feet.
One of them said FridayBlack box“From Aricraft (flight data recorder or voice recorder), it has been recovered from the wreckage.
“This marks an important step in the investigation,” said Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, Minister of Civil Aviation Union of India. “This will greatly help the investigation of the incident.”
Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said in a video statement on Friday that the airline’s parent company, Tata Group, will provide about $116,000 for families of everyone who dies of Rs 1 crore (Rs 1 crore). Wilson said the company will also pay for the medical expenses of the injured.
“Everyone at Air India is saddened by the people affected, their families and loved ones,” he said. “…We know that the investigation will take time, but we will be completely transparent and we will support the process in the time it takes.”
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