Ahmedabad– In a catastrophe that claimed 241 lives, one man lived to tell the tale. Vishwas Kumar Ramesh, the sole survivor of the Air India flight AI-171 crash near Ahmedabad, is now in stable condition and undergoing treatment at Civil Hospital. His account offers a chilling window into the final moments of the doomed flight—and the instincts that saved him by seconds.
“Everything burned before my eyes,” said Ramesh, recalling how the aircraft appeared to hesitate during takeoff before suddenly accelerating down the runway. “The runway lights flashed green and white. It felt like the pilot was struggling to lift the plane. Moments later, we crashed into a building. The entire plane turned into an inferno before I could even understand what was happening.”
Ramesh, who was seated in a section of the aircraft that struck the lower portion of a hostel building, believes the placement of his seat played a key role in his survival. “My part of the plane hit the building first. I fell with my seat as the structure collapsed. Fortunately, there was an open space in front of me. I crawled out. On the other side of the plane, there was a wall—no one could escape that way,” he said. “I saw two air hostesses and an elderly couple engulfed in flames. My left hand was burned. But I lived. A few seconds later, I might not have.”
A resident of Leicester, United Kingdom, Ramesh was traveling with his brother Ajay. Their other brother, Nayan, confirmed that while Vishwas survived, Ajay remains missing. “We’ve spoken to Vishwas. He’s in the hospital and recovering. But we have no news of Ajay yet. We’re holding on to hope,” Nayan said.
Meanwhile, efforts continue at Civil Hospital to identify the deceased. As of Friday, five victims have been identified and their remains handed over to families—two from Rajasthan, two from Bhavnagar, and one from Madhya Pradesh.
Hospital officials reported that DNA samples have been collected from 192 families so far. A team of 70 to 80 doctors—mobilized from public health centers (PHCs) and community health centers (CHCs) across Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Anand, and Nadiad—has been working around the clock in the hospital’s post-mortem facility since the tragedy occurred.
While investigations into the cause of the crash continue, Vishwas Ramesh’s survival stands as a rare miracle in an otherwise devastating event that has gripped the nation and shaken the global aviation community. (Source: IANS)
