According to Indian police, the sole known survivor of the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad on June 12 may have escaped by jumping from the aircraft near an emergency exit. The man, identified as Ramesh Viswashkumar, was one of 242 people on board the ill-fated flight, which crashed shortly after takeoff and plummeted into a residential area near a medical college dormitory.
Speaking from his hospital bed, the 40-year-old British citizen recounted the horrifying moment to Hindustan Times:
“When I woke up, there were dead bodies everywhere. I was terrified. I stood up and ran. Debris from the plane was all around me. Someone grabbed me and helped me into an ambulance.”
Authorities have yet to determine whether Ramesh Viswashkumar jumped from the aircraft before or after impact. A boarding pass shared by Hindustan Times confirmed that he was seated in seat 11A, located near one of the plane’s emergency exits.
Video footage circulating on social media and Indian news broadcasts shows a man—wearing a blood-stained white t-shirt and dark pants—limping through the crash site with visible bruises on his face. The man is assisted by a medical responder, and his appearance matches hospital images of Viswashkumar published in local media.
Reuters has not independently verified the video. In the footage, bystanders can be heard asking, “Where are the other passengers?” to which the man responds, “They’re all inside.”
A relative based in the UK, who requested anonymity, confirmed to Reuters via phone that Ramesh Viswashkumar survived and that the family is in contact with him.
Ajay Valgi, a cousin living in Leicester, also confirmed to the BBC that Ramesh Viswashkumar was safe and had communicated with the family. He added that Ramesh Viswashkumar is married and has a young son.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed into a densely populated residential district just outside Ahmedabad Airport, colliding with a student dormitory during lunchtime. It is the deadliest aviation disaster globally in the past decade.
Over 240 people have been confirmed dead, including passengers and local residents. Initial reports had placed the death toll at 294, though authorities later clarified that some body parts had been double-counted.
Local police chief Mr. Chaudhary stated that while Viswashkumar is currently the only confirmed survivor, search and rescue operations are ongoing. Several severely injured individuals are still
