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‘I thought I was about to die’: Air India plane’s sole survivor recalls moment before crash

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5 days ago

A London-bound Air India flight crashed just after takeoff in Ahmedabad, killing at least 242 people. One man survived — and lived to tell the story.

Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, the only survivor of the tragic crash of Air India Flight 171, has shared the chilling details of his narrow escape.

“Everything happened in front of me,” he told DD News in Hindi from his hospital bed. “Even I couldn’t believe how I came out alive.”

The Boeing 787‑8 Dreamliner had just taken off from Ahmedabad when it went down in a fiery crash.

“Within a minute after takeoff, it felt like something got stuck,” said Ramesh, who was seated at 11A. “Then the plane’s green and white lights turned on. I realised something was wrong.”

The aircraft slammed into a residential area just outside the airport, exploding on impact.

“The plane sped up, heading straight towards a hostel near a hospital,” he said. “It was all visible — I saw it crash right in front of me.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Ramesh in the hospital, as shown in a video on Modi’s YouTube channel.

Ramesh, 40, a British citizen from Leicester, said he thought it was the end.

“Initially, I thought I was going to die. But then I opened my eyes and realised I was still alive.”

He managed to escape through a broken door.

“I saw the air hostess and passengers in front of me,” he recalled.

“I unfastened my seatbelt and ran. The side I was on wasn’t facing the hostel, so when the door broke, I saw an opening and slipped out.”

Footage on social media showed him limping away from the scene, his T‑shirt stained with blood.

“My left hand got slightly burnt,” he said.

“But the ambulance came quickly and brought me here. People are taking good care of me.”

The crash claimed the lives of passengers from four countries: 169 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian. Twelve crew members were also on board.

Police said the death toll has reached 265.

Authorities are now relying on DNA testing to identify the victims.