One passenger appears to have survived the explosion and fireball that took place in Ahmedabad, India, Thursday when a Boeing 787-8 crashed soon after takeoff.
The Air India flight was bound for London, but instead went down into a residential neighborhood.
The death toll in the disaster has reached 290, according to the U.K.’s Independent, with about 240 people aboard the plane having died and the rest being killed when the plane crashed.
Although officials initially said everyone aboard the plane was killed, officials and local media reports said that one man not only survived, but walked away from the crash.
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British citizen, was in seat 11A when the plane crashed, according to the New York Post.
WARNING: The following video shows a passenger jet crashing and exploding, which some will find disturbing.
WATCH: Air India plane carrying 242 people crashes in Ahmedabad while taking off for flight to London pic.twitter.com/KyLVZaV6i7
— BNO News (@BNONews) June 12, 2025
As first responders arrived, Ramesh was found limping on a street near the site of the impact.
“When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran. There were pieces of the plane all around me,” he said while in a local hospital.
“Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital,” he said.
Ramesh said the plane had barely begun the flight when something went wrong.
“Thirty seconds after takeoff, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly,” he said
One doctor said Ramesh should fully recover from his injuries, according to Newsweek.
“He was disoriented with multiple injuries all over his body,” Dr. Dhaval Gameti said. “But he seems to be out of danger.”
Ramesh Viswashkumar, The sole survivor of the Air India crash escaped by jumping from the plane. He was on seat number 11A. #AirIndia #AhmedabadNews #Gujarat #PlaneCrash #ITReel pic.twitter.com/NsMBeZOkbX
— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) June 12, 2025
Ramesh has “no idea” how he survived, his brother Nayan Kumar Ramesh, said, according to the BBC.
“We were just shocked as soon as we heard it,” Nayan Kumar Ramesh said. The family lives in Leicester, England.
He quoted his brother as saying, “I have no idea how I exited the plane.”
The BBC said a relative said Ramesh asked about a brother who was on the doomed plane.
Ramesh “got some injuries on his face. He was pretty much covered in blood – that’s what his dad said,” the relative, whose name was given as Jay, said.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
