In the midst of one of India’s deadliest aviation disasters in decades, a single thread of hope has emerged– the miraculous survival of Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British national of Indian origin, who lived through the horrifying crash of Air India Flight 171.
The Boeing 787 aircraft was en route from Ahmedabad to London’s Gatwick Airport when tragedy struck shortly after takeoff. Within seconds of departure, a loud noise was heard, and the aircraft plunged into the BJ Medical College and Hospital hostel in Ahmedabad, killing 241 of the 242 people on board, including dozens of medical students housed in the building.
But against every odd and expert expectation, Ramesh was pulled from the wreckage alive.
A seat of survival
According to Indian news reports, Ramesh had been seated in 11A, an emergency exit row just ahead of the left wing alocation aviation analysts say is rarely survivable in such high-impact crashes.
“It’s incredibly surprising,” said CNN safety analyst and former U.S. FAA inspector David Soucie. “That seat is right above the wing spar, where the structure is the strongest, but in a crash of this magnitude, survival there is close to impossible.”
And yet, somehow, Ramesh did survive though not unharmed. Medical people at Ahmedabad’s Civil Hospital reported that he was disoriented and sustained multiple injuries, but doctors say he is now stable and expected to recover.
“He has some blood in the images, but he’s not very badly injured,” said Dr. Rajnish Patel, head of surgery. “He is very comfortable and under strict observation. No issues.”
A family’s relief — and grief
Ramesh, who had been visiting family in India, was returning to the UK with his brother, who had been seated in a different row. His brother did not survive the crash.
Leicester East MP Shivani Raja called the survival “nothing short of a miracle.” She added, “I’ve reached out to the family and am choosing to respect their privacy at this trying time.”
From his hospital bed, Ramesh told reporters that the disaster struck with little warning.
“Thirty seconds after takeoff, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly,” he recalled in an interview published by the Hindustan Times.
The full extent of what he endured both physically and emotionally is still unfolding. But he is slowly recovering.
While investigations into the cause of the crash are ongoing, one fact is already clear: Vishwash Kumar Ramesh’s survival defies logic.
He was the only person to walk away from a plane filled with 241 others who would never see their destinations. And while he carries deep physical and emotional scars, his survival story offers a glimmer of light amid overwhelming darkness.
In the coming weeks, Ramesh will recover, mourn, and begin to rebuild.
Investigations begin
Meanwhile, two police sources have told Reuters that a black box has been recovered from the crash site of the Air India aircraft.
The BBC reports that a police official at the postmortem room say that six dead bodies have been released so far to families who were able to identify them based on facial features.
Those who were onboard the ill-fated plane include; 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, 7 Portuguese nationals, and 1 Canadian national.
By Winsda Makena
