The sole confirmed survivor of the fatal Air India Flight AI171 crash that happened near Ahmedabad Airport on Monday morning is thought to be Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British-Indian from London.
According to the first accounts, the disaster had claimed the lives of forty individuals. With the confirmation of over 200 deaths, the expected death toll was raised in a subsequent update.
According to the most recent reports from Ahmedabad’s municipal officials, one person, Ramesh, managed to survive the accident.
Shortly after takeoff, the plane that Ramesh was on his way back to London from visiting relatives in Ahmedabad crashed. He is now in the hospital recovering from injuries to his feet, chest, and eyes.
Ramesh told the Hindustan Times, speaking from his hospital bed, the terrifying events preceding up to the accident:
Everything went downhill after a loud blast about 30 seconds after takeoff. It was a flash in the pan. I was around by corpses when I woke up. My heart raced, and I bolted for the hills. All over, there was debris. I was dragged out of there and hurried to an ambulance.
There were 242 people on board when the plane suddenly lost touch with air traffic control shortly after takeoff.
According to Flightradar24, the plane was only 625 feet (190 meters) in the air when it sent out its final signal.
A tremendous inferno and extensive destruction were caused on the ground as the plane slammed into a heavily populated residential neighbourhood that included medical personnel.