13 June 2025, 09:19 | Updated: 13 June 2025, 10:09
Latest updates: British survivor in seat 11A has ‘no idea’ how he escaped death
The sole surviving passenger of the Air India plane crash has described ‘walking out of the rubble’ after the disaster that claimed over 200 lives.
Brit Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, described how the ‘lights started flickering’ before the plane crashed and revealed the horrific scenes he saw as he walked out mostly unscathed past other people as they lay dying.
He told the Hindustan Times: “When the flight took off, within five to 10 seconds it felt like it was stuck in the air.
“Suddenly, the lights started flickering – green and white – then the plane rammed into some establishment that was there.”
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Mr Ramesh, who was sat in seat 11a next to an emergency exit, said the section of the plane he was in landed on the ground, rather than hitting the roof of a building.
“When I saw the exit, I thought I could come out. I tried, and I did. Maybe the people who were on the other side of the plane weren’t able to,” he said.
He added: “I don’t know how I survived. I saw people dying in front of my eyes – the air hostesses, and two people I saw near me … I walked out of the rubble.”
He also said he heard a “loud noise” around 30 seconds after take-off before the plane plummeted to earth.
“It all happened so quickly,” he said, adding he was left with “impact injuries.”
“When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran. There were pieces of the plane all around me. Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital.”
Speaking to DD News about the crash, Mr Ramesh said: “I can’t believe how I came out of it alive.
“For a moment, I felt like I was going to die too.
“But when I opened my eyes and looked around, I realised I was alive.
“I still can’t believe how I survived.
“When the flight took off, within five to 10 seconds it felt like it was stuck in the air.
“Suddenly, the lights started flickering – green and white.
“The aircraft wasn’t gaining altitude and was just gliding before it suddenly slammed into a building and exploded.
“At first, I thought I was dead. Later, I realised I was still alive and saw an opening in the fuselage.
“I managed to unbuckle myself, used my leg to push through that opening, and crawled out.
“I don’t know how I survived.
“I saw people dying in front of my eyes – the air hostesses, and two people I saw near me … I walked out of the rubble.”
Footage purports to show sole survivor of Ahmedabad plane crash
He reportedly called his dad on the phone just before and after the crash, according to his brother, Nayan Kumar Ramesh.
“My dad called him,” 27-year-old Nayan said. “And Vishwash said ‘oh we’re going to take off soon.”
Just two minutes later, Vishwash called his father again – a video call this time.
“He video called my dad as he crashed and said ‘Oh the plane’s crashed. I don’t know where my brother is,” Nayan said.”
‘I don’t see any other passengers. I don’t know how I’m alive – how I exited the plane’,” Nayan quoted his brother as saying.
Air India flight 171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, careened back to earth in the densely populated Meghani area of the city, hitting doctors’ accommodation and a student canteen minutes after leaving the runway at about 1pm local time.
Pictures have emerged showing chunks of the plane’s fuselage and tail protruding from a demolished building.
Police have confirmed more than 290 people, both in the plane and on the ground, where killed in the crash.
Mr Ramesh was travelling with his brother at the time of the crash.
Video footage shared online showed a man walking around in the wreckage of the crash, although this has not been confirmed to be Mr Ramesh.
Speaking outside the family home in Leicester, his brother, Nayan Kumar Ramesh, 27, said: “We were just shocked as soon as we heard it.
“I last spoke to him yesterday morning. We’re devastated, just devastated.”
“He said: ‘I have no idea how I exited the plane’.”
Another of Mr Ramesh’s relatives, Jay, said the survivor spoke to his father after the crash and asked after his brother Ajay, who is believed to have also been on the plane.
Jay said: “After the crash he spoke to his dad worrying about his brother saying ‘Where’s Ajay’?
“He’s got some injuries on his face. He was painted in blood. He was pretty much covered in blood, that’s what his dad said.
He added: “He’s doing well I think. It’s a big shock. I don’t have many words to describe the incident.”Sky News reports it has spoken with Mr Ramesh’s family, who say the miracle survivor’s brother is still missing.
Reports of one survivor from Air India plane crash
Previously, police had reported that there were no survivors from the crash, but this appears to have been premature.
Among the dead were reportedly three Britons from Gloucester.
Akeel Nanabawa, his wife, Hannaa and their daughter, Sara, were all killed in the crash.
A post on the Gloucester Muslim Community read: “Today, we are profoundly heartbroken by the devastating loss of life in the catastrophic crash of Flight AI171, travelling from Ahmedabad to London.
“During this moment of overwhelming sorrow, our hearts go out to all those left behind. No words can truly ease the pain of such a profound loss, but we pray that the family may find solace in the tremendous outpouring of compassion and solidarity from communities across the world.”
A pilot told LBC he believed it was a “tragic accident” and believed it was likely down to pilot error. An investigation is under way to establish the cause of the crash.
He said the 787 was a “phenomenal aeroplane” that was an “absolute dream to fly.”
“What we have to realise is errors, mistakes… can happen at any time and people are only human.”
“There is no single manufacturing process in the entire world which is flawless. Boeing will strive to do as much as they possibly can to iron out any errors.”
Experts have said that looking at footage of the plane’s final moments it appeared it may have been on the wrong flap setting which could have led to the crash.
Tata Group, the parent company of Air India, said it would provide 10 million rupees (around £86,000) to the families of those who were killed in the crash.
The company said it would also cover the medical costs of those injured and provide support in the “building up” of the medical college the plane crashed into.
Footage shows moment plane crashes in Ahmedabad
Local media outlets reported the plane crashed on top of the canteen at B J Medical College.
Divyansh Singh, vice president of the Federation of All India Medical Association, told AP at least five medical students had been killed and around 50 were injured after the plane collided with the college.
Campbell Wilson, the chief executive of Air India, expressed his “deep sorrow” after the incident, adding: “This is a difficult day for all of us at Air India and our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, their families and loved ones.”
Pilot Harry gives his reaction to Gatwick-bound plane crash
UK officials are being deployed to India to support the investigation, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said.
The King said he was “desperately shocked” by the incident and Buckingham Palace said he was being kept updated on the developing situation.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the crash was “devastating”, while his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi said it was “heartbreaking beyond words”.
Air India chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran described the incident as a “tragic accident” and a “devastating event”, and said emergency response teams are at the site.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has stood up a crisis team in India and the UK, Foreign Secretary David Lammy said.
The Reuters news agency reported 217 adults and 11 children were on board the flight
Gatwick said a reception centre was being set up for relatives of passengers on board the Air India flight.
It is the first crash involving a Boeing 787 aircraft, according to the Aviation Safety Network database.
Flightradar24 said flight tracking data shows after taking off, the plane reached a maximum altitude of 625ft, which is about 425ft above the airport.
It then started to descend at a rate of 475 feet per minute.
Air India was acquired by Tata Group from the Indian government in January 2022 after racking up billions of pounds of losses.
The airline’s UK operations are at Birmingham, Gatwick and Heathrow, with routes to a number of Indian cities such as Ahmedabad, Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
It started operating flights to Gatwick in March 2023, with 12 weekly departures and five weekly departures to Ahmedabad.
Gatwick said there was no impact on wider flight operations at the airport, but a Thursday evening flight to Goa had been cancelled.