‘I Walked Out of Rubble’ — Air India Crash Survivor Recounts Escape
The sole survivor of the tragic Air India plane crash, British national Vishwashkumar Ramesh, has recounted the harrowing moment he escaped the burning wreckage.
Ramesh, 40, was seated in 11A on the London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner when it crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, western India, on Thursday.
Speaking from his hospital bed, he told Indian state media DD News that he managed to crawl out of the wreckage through a break in the fuselage.
“I unbuckled myself, used my leg to push through an opening, and crawled out,” he said. “When I saw a gap where the door had broken, I squeezed through and got out.
The other side of the plane had slammed into the wall—no one could have survived on that side.”
Air India confirmed that all 241 other passengers and crew were killed, including 169 Indian nationals and 52 British citizens. Authorities have recovered over 200 bodies, though the total number of casualties may also include individuals on the ground.
The aircraft crashed into a residential building used to house doctors from Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College and Civil Hospital.
Fortunately, the section of the aircraft where Ramesh was seated did not directly strike the building, which may have spared his life.
Describing the final moments of the flight, Ramesh said, “The lights started flickering green and white, and within seconds it felt like the plane was stuck mid-air. Then it just slammed into something and exploded.”
Videos circulated on social media showed Ramesh walking toward an ambulance with flames and smoke behind him. “I saw people dying in front of me—the air hostesses, two passengers nearby…
I thought I would die too,” he said. “But when I opened my eyes, I was still alive. I still can’t believe I survived. I walked out of the rubble.”
Ramesh, a businessman from Leicester with a wife and young son, suffered multiple injuries but is expected to recover.
Dr. Dhaval Gameti, one of the doctors treating him, said he was “disoriented” upon arrival but is now “out of danger.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the crash site and later met with survivors and grieving families at the hospital.
The UK Foreign Office also confirmed it had contacted Ramesh to offer consular support.
Ramesh’s brother Ajay was also on board the flight and is believed to be among the deceased. Their cousin, Hiren Kantilal, said the two had been in India for a family vacation.
He added that the family had spoken to Ramesh on Friday morning and were seeking assistance from the British government to travel to India to reunite with him.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation. One of the aircraft’s black boxes has been recovered and is expected to shed light on what led to the catastrophe.
The UK Foreign Office has set up helplines for concerned families in the UK and India.