Officials have confirmed that an Indian-origin British citizen survived the tragic Air India crash that occurred in Ahmedabad earlier today. Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik told ANI that the man, identified as Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, was located in seat 11A and is currently being treated at a hospital.
Vishwash was traveling to the United Kingdom alongside his elder brother, Ajay Kumar Rakesh, 45, who had been seated in a different row on the ill-fated Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.
Speaking to the Hindustan Times from his hospital bed, Ramesh recounted the terrifying moments after takeoff. “Just thirty seconds into the flight, I heard a loud bang—and then everything went dark. It happened in an instant,” he said. He sustained injuries to his chest and is now desperately appealing for help to locate his missing brother.
Family members in Leicester were left shaken upon receiving news of the crash. Vishwash's younger brother, Nayan Kumar, 27, said, “He just kept repeating, ‘I don’t know how I got out of the plane.’ He’s completely traumatized.”
The London-bound aircraft was carrying 242 individuals and had been fully fueled for the long-haul flight to Britain. Tragically, it plummeted into a hostel for medical college doctors just 32 seconds after takeoff. Officials have so far confirmed that at least five people in the hostel were killed, with fears that the death toll could climb.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah noted the aircraft was loaded with around 100,000 litres of aviation fuel, which caused a massive blaze and made rescue efforts extremely challenging.
The flight was under the command of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a seasoned pilot with over 8,000 hours of flying experience, and First Officer Clive Kundar, who had clocked around 1,100 hours. A mayday distress signal was reportedly issued moments before the crash.
Security footage from the Ahmedabad airport revealed the aircraft speeding down the runway and taking off smoothly. At first glance, nothing appeared unusual. But within seconds, the aircraft failed to gain the expected altitude. Instead, it leveled off briefly before beginning to descend, eventually crashing—confirming the worst fears captured in the surveillance video.