Miracle survivor: Ramesh Vishwashkumar sole passenger to walk out alive after deadly plane crash

On the day of unspeakable tragedy and charred wreckage, one man walked out alive.

Ramesh Vishwashkumar, a 40-year-old British national of Indian origin, was seated on 11A aboard Air India Flight AI 171 when it crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon. Despite being surrounded by charred wreckage and debris, Vishwashkumar miraculously survived the disaster.

According to Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik, Vishwashkumar was the sole survivor found in seat 11A. “The police found one survivor in seat 11A. One survivor has been found in the hospital and is under treatment. We cannot confirm the number of deaths yet, but it may increase due to the residential area impact,” Malik told the media.

Vishwashkumar was returning to the UK after visiting his extended family in Gujarat, accompanied by his elder brother, Ajay Kumar Ramesh. However, the fate of his brother remains unknown, and Vishwashkumar is still searching for him.

Witnesses described seeing a dazed man, with scorched clothes and a blood-stained white T-shirt, limping away from the wreckage. “He was in shock, just walking, not speaking—barely breathing,” a bystander recalled.

Despite being found amidst a pile of charred bodies, Vishwashkumar’s injuries are non-life-threatening. Hospital sources reported that he is stable but in emotional shock, unable to recall much beyond the moment the aircraft began to shudder violently.

“I just remember a loud blast… then everything went dark. I think I just jumped,” Vishwashkumar told medical staff faintly. The brothers had planned to return to the UK together on what should have been a routine flight.

Officials have not released Ajay’s status, and Vishwash — still sedated and disoriented — keeps asking nurses, “Did my brother make it?”

As officials continue to investigate the crash, Vishwashkumar’s survival stands as a rare glimmer of hope amidst the tragedy. Rescue workers described his survival as “nothing short of divine intervention”. For Vishwashkumar, the days ahead may bring answers or more heartbreak as he searches for his brother.