Home
+
Published : 13 Jun 2025, 02:40 PM
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British-Indian who miraculously survived the devastating Air India crash in Ahmedabad, remains in shock and disbelief.
Speaking from his hospital bed, he told India's state broadcaster Doordarshan: “I don’t know how I came out of it alive.”
On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Kumar at the hospital where he is undergoing treatment, private broadcaster NDTV reports.
Recalling the horrific experience, Kumar said: "For a while, I thought I was about to die. But when I opened my eyes, I saw I was alive. And I opened my seat belt and got out of there. The airhostess and aunty uncle all died before my eyes."
Kumar was seated in 11A, next to an emergency exit, which reportedly detached when the aircraft slammed into a hostel building shortly after takeoff.
When asked if he landed on the hostel itself, Kumar said: "No, I was closer to the ground, the ground floor, where there was space. So I came out from there. The building wall was on the opposite side and I do not think anyone was able to come out that way".
A fire erupted moments later, scorching his arm. Struggling to speak through emotion while reliving the trauma, Kumar said: "In front of my eyes two airhostess..."
Describing the crash, he added: "A minute after the take-off, it felt like the plane had got stuck. Then green and white lights came on. They [the pilots] tried to raise the plane but it went full speed and crashed into the building."
The Air India Dreamliner was en route to London when it crashed just minutes after takeoff from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday.
The aircraft, carrying a large quantity of highly flammable aviation fuel, slammed into a hostel adjacent to the airport boundary.
The crash killed 241 people, including passengers and crew, and caused a massive blaze that burnt for hours. A towering column of black smoke was visible for miles.
Victims included at least five MBBS students, one postgraduate resident doctor, and the wife of a superspecialist at the BJ Medical College hostel. Over 60 medical students suffered injuries.
An official death toll had yet to be confirmed even hours after the incident. Union Minister Amit Shah said that a final figure would be announced once DNA identifications were completed.
Among the 230 passengers on board were 169 Indians, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese citizens, and one Canadian. The remaining 12 were crew members, including two pilots.
'HEARTBREAKING TRAGEDY': MODI
PM Modi, who served as chief minister of Gujarat for 12 years, expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy.
"It is heartbreaking beyond words. In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it. Have been in touch with Ministers and authorities who are working to assist those affected," he said on X on Thursday.
He later visited the crash site and met with injured survivors at the hospital.
