By Olatunbosun Obafemi
A tragic air disaster on June 12 in Ahmedabad has claimed over 260 lives after Air India Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner en route to London Gatwick, crashed shortly after takeoff.
The aircraft struck the BJ Medical College and Hospital hostel, killing 241 people onboard and at least 28 on the ground, including medical students. More than 30 others were injured.
Amid the devastation, one passenger, 40-year-old British citizen Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, miraculously survived. Ramesh, who lost his brother Ajay in the crash, was seated in emergency exit row 11A and is believed to have escaped due to his seat position and quick reaction. “I stood up and ran. There were pieces of the plane all around me,” he told the Hindustan Times.
Eyewitnesses captured him limping from the wreckage, bloodied but alert. Doctors at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital say he is stable and may be discharged soon. Back home in Leicester, the news of his survival was met with a mix of relief and grief.
India’s Civil Aviation Minister confirmed a full investigation is underway. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the crash “heartbreaking beyond words” as global condolences poured in.
