British-Indian Ramesh Vishwas Kumar Emerges as Sole Survivor of Air India AI-171 Crash That Left the Nation in Tears
Ahmedabad: Amid the smoking wreckage, the charred remains, and 241 lifeless bodies, one man emerged who cheated death. The horrifying Air India AI-171 crash in Ahmedabad's Meghaninagar area has claimed 241 lives, making it one of the deadliest air disasters in Indian aviation history. But it has also given the country one miracle to hold onto — 40-year-old Ramesh Vishwas Kumar, the “Mukhaddar ka Sikander”, who walked out of a burning aircraft... alive.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, headed for London, had just taken off from Ahmedabad with 230 passengers and 12 crew members, when, within seconds, it suffered a massive technical failure. With a thunderous explosion, it plummeted into a crowded residential zone in Meghaninagar, colliding with the BJ Medical College UG hostel mess and erupting into a fireball.
There were no initial hopes of survivors until eyewitnesses and first responders saw one man limping out of the wreckage, face bloodied, body burned, but alive.
“30 seconds after takeoff, there was a huge explosion. The plane lurched and then hit the ground. When I opened my eyes, there were bodies and burning debris all around me. I was terrified, but I got up from seat 11A and ran out of the fire,” said Ramesh, speaking through bandages from his hospital bed.
"He Shouldn't Have Survived, But He Did": A Miracle in the Flames
Ramesh, a British national of Indian origin, has been living in London for 20 years. He had come to visit his family in India and was returning with his brother, Ajay Kumar Ramesh, who is still missing. His survival has stunned police, firefighters, and aviation experts alike.
“The plane was a ball of fire, how could anyone survive? This is God’s grace,” said a local resident who witnessed the crash.
Even the Ahmedabad Police Commissioner confirmed that Ramesh and possibly one more critically injured passenger survived. A viral video showing Ramesh limping out of the wreckage has earned him nationwide attention — people are calling him the "Bahia Bakari of India", referring to the lone teen survivor of Yemenia Flight 626 in 2009.
“I don’t know how I survived. Maybe it was God’s will. But my brother was also on that flight. I have to find him,” Ramesh pleaded with folded hands, tears rolling down his cheeks.
Massive Loss, Massive Questions: What Went Wrong with AI-171?
As the nation mourns the death of 241 people, including former Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani, questions are being raised about Air India's aircraft maintenance and emergency response preparedness.
Initial reports suggest a catastrophic engine failure. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered a high-level inquiry, deploying specialists in airworthiness and flight operations.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the tragedy “beyond words, heartbreaking”, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah personally visited the site along with top ministers to assess the damage.
“All agencies are working on war footing. We are committed to uncovering the truth behind this failure,” said Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu.
A Nation Weeps — But Hopes With Ramesh
At Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, Ramesh is still in shock, nursing facial and leg injuries, and waiting to hear about his brother. Across the country, social media is flooded with messages calling him a symbol of resilience, survival and hope.
"Jab maut ne pukara, Ramesh ne inkaar kiya. Yeh insaan nahin, misaal hai," reads one popular post on X.
For a nation reeling under grief, Ramesh’s survival offers a flicker of faith — that even in the face of fire, life sometimes wins.
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