Vishwashkumar Ramesh: Sole Survivor of Air India Crash That Killed Over 200 Speaks From the Hospital

• A British businessman based in Leicester, Vishwashkumar Ramesh, has been identified as the sole survivor of the Air India plane crash that killed over 200 people
• Ramesh, speaking from the hospital, detailed how he survived after the plane crashed into a hospital building and how he saw other people perishing before his eyes
• He said the plane started experiencing issues almost immediately after takeoff, with flickering lights and loss of thrust.

The sole survivor of Air India Flight AI171 that claimed over 200 lives, Vishwashkumar Ramesh, has spoken up for the first time since the plane crash.

Ramesh spoke to Indian state media from his hospital bed and explained how he survived the disaster.

He also recounted seeing scenes of horror during his escape, including watching people die right before his eyes.

Mr Vishwashkumar, a British national, was returning to London after visiting family back in India.

His brother, who was on the flight with him, is presumed dead in the crash.

Air India plane crash kills over 200

An Air India plane headed from Ahmedabad in Western India to London crashed on Thursday, June 12, 2025.

The Boeing 787 plummeted to the ground soon after takeoff and crashed into a building that accommodates doctors at the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College and Civil Hospital.

Apart from Ramesh, all passengers and the flight crew – 169 Indian nationals and 52 British nationals – died in the crash.

Over 200 bodies have been recovered from the crash site, although it’s unclear how many are passengers and how many are casualties from the Civil Hospital building.

Air India survivor Vishwashkumar Ramesh speaks

From his hospital bed in Ahmedabad, 40-year-old Ramesh Vishwashkumar spoke about surviving the plane crash.

According to authorities, he was seated close to an emergency exit and pushed his way through an opening in the fuselage after the crash.

"He was near the emergency exit and managed to escape by jumping out the emergency door," said Vidhi Chaudhary, a senior police officer in Ahmedabad, per Reuters.

Vishwashkumar gave more details about his escape to Indian state broadcaster DD News, recounting that the section he was in landed on the ground and did not strike the building.

"When the door broke and I saw there was some space, I tried to get out of there, and I did. 'I managed to unbuckle myself, used my leg to push through that opening, and crawled out,” he said, per the BBC.

He described seeing distressing scenes in the plane during his escape.

"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," he told the Hindustan Times, per Reuters.

Ramesh also recounted the moments leading up to the crash and said the plane started having problems almost immediately after takeoff.

He said the plane felt stuck in the air about 5-10 seconds after takeoff and that green and white lights started flickering.

After he escaped the wreckage, he was placed in an ambulance and taken to the hospital.

All about Air India survivor Vishwashkumar Ramesh

According to Reuters, Vishwashkumar Ramesh, the sole survivor of the Air India plane crash, is married with a four-year-old child.

He is a British national and runs a business in the East Midlands city of Leicester.

Ramesh is expected to make a full recovery from the crash, with BBC reporting his doctor to have said he is disoriented but out of danger.

Last words of Air India pilot surface

YEN.com.gh previously reported that the last words of the pilot of the Air India plane that crashed have surfaced following the tragedy.

Captain Sumeet Sabharwal sent out a mayday call outlining technical challenges on the plane shortly after takeoff.

He told air traffic controllers that the plane was having difficulty gaining thrust and that it was losing power.

Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.

Source: YEN.com.gh