The Home Minister of India reported that there is at least one survivor of the air tragedy where a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner from the airline Air India crashed after taking off from the airport in the city of Ahmedabad. Amit Shah said that he even met with the person, as reported by The New York Times.
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According to The Guardian, the survivor is Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British citizen who was in Ahmedabad visiting relatives and was traveling back to the UK with his brother.
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“Thirty seconds after takeoff, a loud noise was heard and then the plane crashed. Everything happened very quickly,” said Ramesh, who was seated in 11A according to the boarding pass he still had in his possession.
According to the survivor’s account, after the accident, he got up and ran out of the plane until someone grabbed him and took him to a hospital. Ramesh has injuries on his chest, face, and one eye.
How did the Air India passenger plane accident happen?
The aircraft destined for London with 242 people on board crashed shortly after takeoff in the dining hall of a medical university faculty, about three and a half miles from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in the city.
“Flight AI171, operating between Ahmedabad and London Gatwick, was involved in an incident today, June 12, 2025,” reported CNN en Español, based on a statement from the airline Air India.
According to The New York Times, the bodies of 204 people have already been recovered and at least five identified deaths have been reported on the university campus, although the final death toll on the ground could exceed 40.
Ahmedabad Police Commissioner G.S. Malik said that at least 41 injured people are receiving treatment, a number that could include passengers and people on the ground.
Through a social media post, the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, expressed that the airplane accident has “shocked and saddened” the entire nation. “The tragedy in Ahmedabad has shocked and saddened us. It is heartbreaking, indescribable,” he said.
What is known about the Air India accident?
- At the moment, there is no exact number of the victims of the plane crash. 204 bodies have been recovered.
- Air India flight AI171 departed from Ahmedabad International Airport at 1:38 p.m. Indian time (4:08 a.m. US Eastern time) bound for London-Gatwick Airport.
- The plane was carrying 242 people on board, 169 Indians, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian.