‘When I opened my eyes…’: How lone survivor managed to exit crashed Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner

Ramesh, the lone survivor after the Air India flight crashed on Thursday, said the aircraft door was ripped open when the plane slammed into the building.

By: Express Web Desk
New Delhi | Updated: June 13, 2025 09:02 PM IST

4 min read

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Vishwaskumar Ramesh said the aircraft door was ripped open when the aircraft slammed into the building. (Screengrab)

Vishwaskumar Ramesh did not think he would survive after the Air India plane he was travelling in crashed soon after take-off. However, his fate differed from that of his over 200 co-passengers. Ramesh turned out to be the lone survivor after a Boeing 787 Dreamliner carrying 242 passengers and crew members took off for London from Ahmedabad airport on Thursday but collided into a medical college hostel after quickly losing altitude and erupted into a ball of flame.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday visited the 40-year-old British national, who is currently hospitalised, and enquired about his health and the events that transpired on the fateful flight. On Thursday, social media videos had captured Ramesh walking out of the charred wreckage of the aircraft.

“When I opened my eyes after the crash, for a few moments, I thought I would die too,” he told DD News from his hospital bed.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who reached Ahmedabad by Thursday evening, had confirmed that the Air India flight had only a single survivor, and that he had met him in hospital. Shah had then said that the temperature inside the plane was so high that it was not possible to save people. “There was 1.25 lakh litre of fuel inside the plane and it caught fire so it was impossible to save anyone,” he had said.

How did Ramesh escape from crashed Air India plane?

Kumar, who was sitting on seat 11A next to an emergency exit, detailed what he saw on the seconds-long flight that ended in a disaster. “I don’t know how I came out of it alive…I thought I was going to die. But I opened my eyes, saw I was alive, unbuckled my seat belt, and just crawled out. Everyone around me… airhostess, they didn’t make it,” he said.

He said the aircraft door was ripped open when the aircraft slammed into the building. “I was close to the ground floor. There was space, and I crawled out from there. The building wall was on the other side…I don’t think anyone else could have escaped from there.”

Asked how the crash came about, he said: “The crash occurred barely a minute after takeoff.” “Suddenly, it felt like the plane got stuck. Green and white lights flashed. The pilot seemed to try to lift it again, but the aircraft went full speed into the building.”

A fireball rose high into the sky, visible from afar.

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Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, adjacent to the crash site, is treating Kumar and several others who were injured.

On Friday morning, PM Modi arrived in Ahmedabad to assess the aftermath of the fatal accident. He was accompanied by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Union Civil Aviation Minister K R Naidu, the latter of whom had briefed Union Home Minister Amit Shah a day earlier after inspecting the crash site. Modi also visited Civil Hospital to meet with Kumar and those injured in the crash.

According to Air India, the flight carried a total of 242 people — 169 Indians, including former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani — 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese citizens, and one Canadian. All 12 crew members, including the two pilots, lost their lives.

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