On June 12, 2025, the world watched in disbelief as tragedy struck just moments after takeoff from Ahmedabad, India. Air India Flight AI-171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner bound for London Gatwick, crashed into the B.J. Medical College hostel building, killing 241 people—both passengers and students on the ground. Among the devastation, there was one miraculous survivor: a British national of Indian origin, Vishwashkumar Ramesh.
In the immediate aftermath, video footage showed a bloodied man staggering from the wreckage, soon identified as Ramesh. He had been seated in 11A, near the emergency exit just in front of the aircraft’s left wing. Against all odds, he walked away from the crash, suffering only moderate injuries.
“Thirty seconds after takeoff, there was a loud noise, and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly,” Ramesh recalled from his hospital bed, still grappling with the trauma and the uncertain fate of his brother, who had been sitting elsewhere on the flight.
Ramesh was in India visiting family. The trip home ended in a nightmare. His cousin, Ajay Valgi, speaking from Leicester, England, said Ramesh managed to call his family to say he was alive. “He’s fine,” Ajay confirmed, “but we are devastated about his brother and the others who didn’t make it.”
Doctors at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital described Ramesh’s survival as medically astonishing. “He is stable, comfortable, and under observation,” said Dr. Rajnish Patel, head of surgery at the hospital. “He has some internal bleeding but is not critically injured.”
Astonishment echoed across the aviation world. CNN’s safety analyst and former FAA inspector, David Soucie expressed shock that someone seated where the wing meets the fuselage could survive such an impact. “That area is typically where the aircraft hits hardest—survivability there is nearly unheard of.”
The crash’s toll extended beyond the plane. The impact demolished part of the B.J. Medical College hostel, killing at least three medical students and injuring 30 others, according to the Indian Medical Association Medical Students Network. A senior doctor at the Civil Hospital confirmed the number of fatalities was still climbing in the days that followed.
The aircraft was carrying nationals from India, the UK, Canada, and Portugal. As investigations continue, authorities have recovered the black box and launched a full probe. India’s aviation regulator responded by ordering comprehensive safety checks across Air India’s Dreamliner fleet.
Air India announced an interim compensation of ₹1 crore for each victim’s family—a gesture in the face of an unfathomable loss.
British MP Shivani Raja, who represents Leicester East, called Ramesh’s survival “nothing short of a miracle,” while honoring the memory of his brother and all the others whose lives were tragically cut short.
Now, months later, the legacy of AI-171 is a sobering reminder of fragility and fate. And for Vishwashkumar Ramesh, the only passenger who lived to tell the tale, life has taken on a new, unimaginable meaning.