AHMEDABAD – In one of the deadliest air disasters in a decade, an Air India flight bound for London crashed shortly after takeoff on Thursday, killing over 200 people. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, operating as flight AI 171, went down just minutes after departing from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, crashing into a nearby residential area that included a medical college hostel.
Tragically, of the 242 passengers and crew aboard, only one survivor has been found—40-year-old Ramesh Viswashkumar, who recounted the harrowing moments leading up to the crash. “Thirty seconds after takeoff, there was a loud noise—and then the plane crashed,” he told The Hindustan Times from his hospital bed. “When I opened my eyes, there were bodies everywhere. I was terrified. I just ran.”
Viswashkumar, who was seated in 11A, said he lost contact with his brother, Ajay, who had been on board as well. “He was with me on the flight. I can’t find him. Please help me find him,” he pleaded, his voice choked with emotion.
A video circulating on Indian media showed Viswashkumar, visibly injured, limping towards an ambulance as bystanders rushed to assist.
Authorities have so far recovered 204 bodies from the wreckage. Ahmedabad Police Commissioner G.S. Malik initially reported no survivors but later confirmed to ANI that one individual had been found alive and is currently receiving medical care.
The aircraft was en route to Gatwick Airport in the United Kingdom. The cause of the crash remains under investigation, though initial reports suggest a catastrophic engine failure shortly after takeoff.
Emergency services and aviation investigators are combing through the debris as families await word of their loved ones.
