Ahmedabad- In a disaster that turned a routine takeoff into a national tragedy, one man emerged from the burning wreckage — dazed, bleeding, but alive. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British national seated on 11A, miraculously survived the Air India Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad that claimed 241 lives. His voice — trembling, yet firm — now echoes as a haunting reminder of what happened just 30 seconds into flight.
The Air India crash survivor story is not just one of survival but of unimaginable loss. “When I got up, there were bodies all around me,” Vishwash recounted from his hospital bed at Civil Hospital, Asarwa. “There were pieces of the plane everywhere. I stood up and ran until someone pulled me into an ambulance.”
‘We Were Just Returning Home’: A Brother Missing, a Heart Shattered
Vishwash had come to India for a short visit with his brother Ajay Kumar Ramesh (45). “We visited Diu and were returning to London together,” he said. But tragedy had other plans. Ajay was seated in another row and has been missing since the crash. “Please help me find him,” Vishwash pleaded, as his voice broke — part desperation, part disbelief.
With injuries to his chest, eyes, and feet, he lies bandaged in the general ward, clutching his boarding pass — a silent witness to a horrific moment that turned a holiday into heartbreak.
A City in Shock: Desperate Searches and Prayers at the Civil Hospital
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, flying from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick with 242 souls aboard, crashed minutes after taking off at 1:39 PM on Thursday, engulfing the area in flames. 169 Indian nationals, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian were on board.
At Civil Hospital, the corridors are thick with anxiety. Dozens of families, including those of former Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani, have been searching for loved ones since the crash. Sailesh Mandliya, an aide to Rupani, said, “We are looking for him. If you find out something, let me know.”
A Fragment of Hope Amid a Sea of Grief
The Air India crash survivor story of Vishwash is both incredible and tragic. Surviving what most didn’t, he now awaits news of his brother, one of the many still unaccounted for. Emergency teams continue working tirelessly at the crash site, while hospitals conduct DNA testing to identify victims.
Officials say only one person — Vishwash — survived, making his testimony vital in piecing together what went wrong. The nation mourns, but this single thread of survival brings a faint flicker of light to a day defined by darkness.
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