THE MIRACLE OF SEAT 11A
Special to The Daily Natiion
Ahmedabad, India — In a tragedy that has plunged two nations into mourning, an Air India Dreamliner carrying 242 people crashed in a fiery explosion shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport early Thursday. Of the 230 passengers and 12 crew members on board Flight AI171 bound for London Gatwick, only one person survived: 38-year-old British national, Ramesh Viswashkumar.
Authorities confirmed that the Boeing 787-8 aircraft crashed into a residential wing of the B.J. Medical College complex in the city’s densely populated Meghani Nagar area, igniting a towering inferno and sending panic through the surrounding community. Over 200 people, including passengers and several medical students on the ground, perished in what is now being called India’s worst air disaster in over a decade.
Amid the wreckage, emergency responders discovered something almost impossible: a man, alive, limping away from the debris.
A Walk from Death
Viswashkumar, who had been seated in 11A, an emergency exit row, was found dazed and bloodied but conscious. He suffered injuries to his chest, feet, and eyes, but was able to walk and speak. Witnesses say he stumbled out of the crash site moments before rescue crews arrived.
> “When I got up, there were bodies all around me,” Viswashkumar told paramedics. “I was scared. I stood up and ran.”
Video footage now circulating online shows a man matching his description limping barefoot across the tarmac with smoke trailing behind. It has been confirmed by police as authentic.
Ahmedabad Police Commissioner G.S. Malik stated:
> “He is the only confirmed survivor. Seat 11A. He’s in hospital now, stable. It’s a miracle.”
Who Is the Survivor?
Ramesh Viswashkumar, originally from Leicester, UK, is a systems engineer working for a Bangalore-based tech consultancy. He was traveling to London to attend his cousin’s wedding. Friends describe him as quiet, spiritual, and always level-headed—traits that may have helped him act swiftly in the crucial moments after impact.
His family in the UK has been notified. “We are overwhelmed,” said his sister, Sushma Viswashkumar. “We are grieving for the lives lost, but we are also humbled by the miracle of his survival.”
A Nation in Shock
As investigations into the crash begin, officials from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), the UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are collaborating to determine the cause.
Tata Group, which owns Air India, has pledged ₹1 crore (~£86,000) in compensation to each victim’s family, and committed to covering all medical and psychological costs for the sole survivor.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed “profound grief and condolences,” while UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the crash “a heartbreaking day for both our countries.” King Charles III issued a statement calling the loss “devastating” and extended prayers to the bereaved.
The Miracle That Defies Logic
Aviation analysts are still baffled as to how one passenger—particularly one seated near an exit—could walk away while others did not. Initial theories suggest the aircraft broke apart near his section, potentially allowing him a moment to escape before the cabin was fully engulfed.
Flight data recorders—“black boxes”—have been recovered and will be critical in piecing together the plane’s final moments.
Legacy of the Fallen
While the survival of one man provides a momentary glimmer of hope, it does not eclipse the overwhelming sorrow of hundreds of families left devastated. Among the dead were children, students, elderly pilgrims, and crew members with decades of service.
For now, India—and the world—will cling to the mystery and miracle of Ramesh Viswashkumar. Not because it softens the tragedy, but because it reminds us that sometimes, even in the darkest hour, life chooses to persist.
Special to The Daily Natiion
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From The Editor’s Desk
Emergency responders at the crash site in Ahmedabad; inset: Ramesh Viswashkumar, 38, the sole survivor of Flight AI171, now recovering in a local hospital.