‘Couldn’t believe how I was saved’: Survivor of AI-171 plane crash narrates horrific tale of escaping death

AHMEDABAD: The lone survivor of the Ahmedabad plane crash, Viswash Kumar Ramesh, who miraculously escaped death, shared his horrific experience on Friday, moments after interacting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In an interview with Doordarshan, he narrated the incident and said that his seat, 11-A, was situated in a part of the plane that had landed on the ground floor of the building, which it had crashed into. Vishwash, who is a British citizen of Indian origin, then removed his seat belt and came out of the aircraft, adding that his left hand was burned when fire erupted.

Sharing the horrific experience, he said that all he saw were the bodies of passengers and crew members. Vishwash said, “The side where I was sitting wasn’t on the hostel side, it was the ground floor of the hostel. I don’t know about others, but the place I was sitting that portion landed on the ground floor, and there was some space”.

#WATCH | DD News held an exclusive conversation with #Vishwashkumar, the only survivor of the Ahmedabad plane crash.#planecrashahmedabad #AirIndiaFlightCrash |@neerajddnews pic.twitter.com/tGD2VOVFkr

— DD News (@DDNewslive) June 13, 2025

“As soon as my door broke, I saw that there was some space, and then I tried to get out, and I got out. There was a building wall on the opposite side, and the plane had crashed completely on that side, so probably that is why nobody could get out from that side. There was space only where I was. I don’t know how I survived. When the fire broke out, my left hand also got burned. Then I was admitted to the hospital. People here are treating me well. People are very nice here.”

Vishwash’s survival is no less than a miracle. For some time, he had thought that he would also die, but miraculously escaped death. “PM Modi asked me about the incident. It all happened in front of my eyes. I couldn’t even believe how I was saved. For instance, I thought I would also die. But when I opened my eyes, I was alive. I removed my seat belt and escaped from there. Bodies of uncle-aunties and air hostesses were there…”

#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets the lone survivor of yesterday’s #AirIndiaPlaneCrash.

241 of 242 who were onboard the plane lost their lives.

(Source – DD) pic.twitter.com/tVXoscmOPE

— ANI (@ANI) June 13, 2025

Explaining about the incident, Vishwash said, “After takeoff, for 5-10 seconds, we felt like everything was stuck. Green and white lights were turned on the plane. I think the plane’s speed was increased for takeoff, and it crashed into the hostel’s building. It all happened in front of my eyes”.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Modi visited the Air India plane crash site in Ahmedabad and reviewed the ground situation, a day after the AI-171 flight bound for London Gatwick crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad International Airport here. PM Modi went to the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital to meet with those injured in the mishap.

A total of 241 people onboard the Boeing 787-8, Air India flight 171, including 12 crew members, have died in the deadly Ahmedabad plane crash, Air India confirmed post-midnight on Friday. The flight, which was operating from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick on June 12, 2025, carried 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian national.

The passenger plane crashed near Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad into a resident doctors’ hostel building shortly after take-off. The aircraft was piloted by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a Line Training Captain with 8,200 hours of flying experience, assisted by First Officer Clive Kundar, who had logged 1,100 flying hours.

According to Air Traffic Control (ATC), the aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 1339 IST (0809 UTC) from runway 23. It made a Mayday call to ATC, but thereafter, the aircraft did not respond to the calls made by ATC. Immediately after departing from Runway 23, the aircraft fell on the ground outside the airport perimeter. (ANI)