A devastating plane crash on June 12 claimed 241 lives when Air India Flight AI171 crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, India, en route to London Gatwick. Miraculously, 40-year-old British passenger Vishwash Kumar Ramesh survived.
“I still can’t believe how I came out alive,” Ramesh told Indian broadcaster Doordarshan. Sitting in seat 11A near the emergency exit, he recalled, “Everything happened in front of my eyes… I thought I was going to die.” When the plane crashed into a residential building, he managed to unbuckle his seatbelt, push through a gap in the wreckage, and crawl out.
Video footage shows Ramesh emerging from the rubble with smoke billowing behind him. Witnesses say he cried out, “The plane exploded.” Locals rushed to help before he was taken to hospital. He sustained minor injuries and is in stable condition.
Ramesh later told his family, “I don’t know how I’m alive… I don’t see any other passengers.” His brother Ajay, who was also on board, is presumed dead.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation, with early reports suggesting possible dual engine failure.