Tragedy Strikes: Air India Flight AI171 crashes shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, one survivor rescued

India: An Air India flight that took off from Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025, met with an accident shortly after take off. It had a headcount of 248 people. Few hours after the incident, there were reports of a single passenger who claimed to be the only survivor of the incident. In an interview, the Police Commissioner of Ahmedabad, GS Malik, confirmed that the said survivor was sitting on seat 11A which happens to be just behind an emergency exit in the Boeing’s economy section.

Identified by authorities as Vishwash Kumar Ramesh (38), a British national who was seen to approach an ambulance with injuries at the time of the crash. Reportedly it was his position near the emergency exit which enabled his escape.

As per the seating arrangements, seat 11A is located on the right side of the Economy class and positioned in the first row, near the emergency exit, which might have helped in Ramesh’s escape. He can be seen in a video taken shortly after the crash walking injured and being surrounded by people inquiring about the other passengers.

“Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly,” stated the survivor, who confirmed his identity and seat number by showing his boarding pass.

Flight and Crash details

As per the details, the flight operating was AI171, also known as a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner which took off from runway 23 from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad. The flight’s passenger list included 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, 7 Portuguese nationals, and 1 Canadian. 

Moreover, the Air India plane crashed into a Doctor’s hostel - BJ Medical College’s UG hostel Mess. While the doctors have been rescued from the accommodation where the plane crashed, at least 30 dead bodies were dragged out from the accident site.

Authorities continue to investigate the cause of the crash, and the death toll is expected to rise as rescue operations proceed. As of now, the death toll sits at 290, which also includes one of the former CM of Gujarat, India, Vijay Rupani - a member of the governing BJP party.