“That Break Became My Doorway”: British Survivor Walks Away from Air India AI171 Inferno

In what experts are calling a near-impossible survival, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British national, emerged as the lone surviving passenger of Air India Flight AI171, which erupted in flames just seconds after take-off from Ahmedabad en route to London Gatwick. His seat—Row 11, Exit A—was reportedly flung clear of the fuselage moments before fire consumed the aircraft.

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner had barely lifted from the runway when a deafening explosion tore through its underbelly, scattering debris across the airfield and into the nearby medical college complex. Eyewitnesses described a flash, followed by “metal screaming through the sky.”

Amid the twisted wreckage, police and civilian volunteers discovered Ramesh limping through smoke and ash, nearly 100 yards from the crash site. Bloodied but conscious, he was rushed to a trauma unit where doctors treated him for fractures, a lacerated heel, chest bruises, and corneal injuries.

His brother, Ajay Kumar Ramesh, seated four rows ahead, remains presumed dead. From his hospital bed, Ramesh repeatedly uttered: “I cannot find him anymore.”

Tragically, the crash also claimed the lives of at least five medical students living in hostels beneath the flight path. Another 50 were injured, some severely, when aircraft debris slammed into their quarters. One corridor housing interns was described as looking “like a hurricane-hit storage room.”

Ahmedabad Police Commissioner G.S. Malik confirmed Ramesh was the only passenger to reach an emergency exit, describing his escape as “unbelievable.” A cellphone video later emerged showing Ramesh—his face streaked with soot—dragging one foot toward waiting paramedics.

Dr. Dhaval Gameti, a trauma specialist, noted Ramesh’s condition as “disoriented but stable,” adding, “He seems out of danger—and that in itself is astonishing.”

Aviation experts say survivals of this kind—where fuselage integrity fails within seconds—are exceedingly rare. As investigators comb through the wreckage, Ramesh’s will to escape has offered a haunting reminder of human resilience.

“That sudden break in the structure became my doorway,” he told doctors. For a flight that burned bright and brief, his story now stands as its only surviving testimony.