‘I got up and ran': How one man survived the Air India crash that killed 241
AS AIR India Flight AI171 descended toward its doom on Thursday, Ramesh Vishwaskumar sat in the first row of economy class - headed for one of the most harrowing and luckiest moments of his life.
After the Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed into a densely populated district of the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, Vishwaskumar managed to get out of the plane. He was injured, but alive. All the 241 others on board had perished.
A video that has since gone viral on social media shows a slightly bloodied man walking near the crash site, surrounded by an incredulous crowd.
'Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise,' Vishwaskumar told local reporters, according to the Hindustan Times newspaper. 'There were dead bodies around me. I got scared. I got up and ran. There were pieces of the plane everywhere.' Media outlets identified him as a UK citizen aged 40, from the city of Leicester.
It's a tale of survival that stands out in an aircraft accident that ranks as the worst disaster in civil aviation in more than a decade. The cause of the crash, which killed scores more on the ground as the fully fuelled aircraft tore into buildings and exploded into flames, remains unknown.
Doctors said Vishwaskumar's injuries weren't life threatening, according to the Hindustan Times report. However, he still appears to be dealing with loss: his brother was also on the flight, according to the article.
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Vishwaskumar's survival defies what has otherwise been a devastating episode that extends a string of deadly aviation crashes in recent months.
Other accidents have included the mid-air collision between a military helicopter and a civil aircraft above Washington DC in January, which left no survivors. Only two people escaped the impact of a Boeing 737 with a runway barrier in December in South Korea.
Vishwaskumar may be able to offer valuable clues as to what caused the accident. Salvage crews are still sifting through the wreckage to find possible survivors among people on the ground, alongside technical data like the voice and data recorders that are crucial to piece together the final moments of the doomed flight.
The lucky passenger was seated in row 11 at the left window seat, the first row in economy class that's positioned right behind an emergency exit.
An Air India 787 Dreamliner typically seats 256 passengers in a two-class configuration, with 18 seats in business and 238 seats in economy.
On smaller aircraft like the Boeing 737, that particular seat number happens to be one that savvy passengers often avoid because it's typically slightly offset away from a window, thereby offering no outside view.
For Vishwaskumar, the seat and its proximity to an exit may well have contributed saving his life. BLOOMERG
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Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
'In shock': British Indians mourn crash victims at London vigil
People hold candles as they attend a vigil for the victims of an Air India Boeing BA.N 787-8 Dreamliner which crashed during take-off from an airport in Ahmedabad, in New Delhi, India, June 14, 2025. REUTERS/Bhawika Chhabra A man prepares to remove the wreckage of the Air India Boeing (BA.N) 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, which crashed during take-off from an airport, in Ahmedabad, India June 14, 2025. REUTERS/Amit Dave A police officer stands in front of the wreckage of an Air India aircraft, bound for London's Gatwick Airport, which crashed during take-off from an airport in Ahmedabad, India June 12, 2025. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi LONDON - Dozens of members of Britain's Indian community gathered at a Hindu temple in London on Saturday for a vigil mourning the victims of this week's Air India crash, many of whom had personal connections to the temple. Leaders from the Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Muslim, Parsi, Zoroastrian and other communities offered their prayers, as those in attendance, hands folded, recited chants. A representative of Britain's King Charles read out a message from him and offered Christian prayers. Rajrajeshwar Guruji, head of the Siddhashram Hindu temple in Harrow, likened the grief of those who lost family members in the crash of the London-bound flight to the wait for a loved one's return from an endless journey. "They're just waiting and waiting, now they are not going to come back again," he said in an interview. Guruji, who comes from the state of Gujarat where the plane crashed, said the temple had helped family members in Britain get information about their loved ones. "Some of the members ... I have spoken to them, and ... they don't have the words," he said. "They are in shock." Britain has one of the largest Indian communities outside India, with nearly 1.69 million people - or 3.1% of the population - identifying as ethnically Indian. "We believe that everyone who is born has to go one day. But I hope nobody goes the way these ... passengers, as well as the medical students, have gone," said Harrow Mayor Anjana Patel, who lost a family member. Only one of the 242 passengers and crew on board survived the crash, while others were killed when the plane struck a medical college's hostel. Patel told Reuters that the council was offering grief counselling. "We just cannot bear how people must be feeling," she said. Jyotsna Shukla, 66, said her son's childhood friend was on the plane with his wife and three children. "I feel very bad because he was so young," she said, before breaking down into tears. Among those killed was Vijay Rupani, a former chief minister of Gujarat, who had visited the temple. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
5 hours ago
- Straits Times
Air India crash: Grief turns into anger as families continue agonising wait for bodies
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ST PHOTO: DEBARSHI DASGUPTA 'In two days, all I have been hearing is 72 hours, 72 hours. When will these 72 hours end, nobody knows. They will then bring up some other excuse after 72 hours,' an angry and distressed Mr Memon told reporters outside the BJ Medical College. 'Stop this DNA game… We want to see them (the bodies) in whatever condition they are in, we can stomach it. They were our children.' Fearing that the bodies may have already started decomposing, he demanded that the local authorities release a video to prove that the bodies are safe. 'Four days later if you give us something that stinks, will our heart be able to bear it?... Tell us that the bodies of our loved ones are safe, that they are not decomposing.' Dr Rakesh S. 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Debarshi Dasgupta is The Straits Times' India correspondent covering the country and other parts of South Asia. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CNA
6 hours ago
- CNA
Death toll in Air India crash rises to at least 279
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