Lone survivor of Air India crash reportedly recalls "loud noise" after takeoff
One passenger survived the crash of an Air India plane headed for London that killed at least 240 people Thursday in Ahmedabad, according to officials.
The Associated Press reported that the death toll includes medical students who were in a college hostel when the plane hit the building shortly after takeoff, said Vidhi Chaudhary, a top state police officer in the northwestern city.
Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, the director general of the directorate of civil aviation, told the Associated Press that Air India flight 171, a Boeing 787-8, crashed into a residential area called Meghani Nagar five minutes after taking off at 1:38 p.m. local time.
According to the AP, a video on social media showed the jet slowly descending as if it were landing. As soon as it disappeared out of view behind rows of houses, a large fireball filled the sky.
Plane crash victims
What we know:
According to the AP, Air India said the Gatwick Airport-bound flight was carrying 242 passengers and crew. Of those, Air India said there were 169 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese and one Canadian.
Images from the crash also showed the tail cone of the aircraft with damaged stabilizer fins still attached to it lodged near the top of one of the buildings, the AP noted.
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Rescue officials work at the site where Air India flight 171 crashed in a residential area near the airport in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025. (Photo by SAM PANTHAKY/AFP via Getty Images)
Indian television news channels reported that the plane crashed on top of the dining area of a medical college hostel and visuals showed a portion of the aircraft atop the building.
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What we don't know:
The cause of the plane crash is unknown at this time as the incident is under investigation.
All efforts were being made to ensure medical aid and relief support at the site, India’s Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu posted on X.
Air India plane crash survivor
Vishwashkumar Ramesh, the sole survivor of the Air India plane crash, speaks with doctors from a hospital bed. (Indian Home Minister Amit Shah via X)
Survivor's Account:
Dr. Dhaval Gameti said Ahmedabad’s Civil Hospital had received 186 bodies of passengers. He identified a lone survivor of the crash as Vishwashkumar Ramesh.
"He was disoriented with multiple injuries all over his body," Gameti told The Associated Press. "But he seems to be out of danger."
The Hindustan Times reports that Ramesh, 40, recalled seeing "bodies all around" as he ran from the wreckage of the aircraft. He reportedly described a "loud noise" before the crash, 30 seconds after takeoff.
The first crash of a Boeing 787
Dig deeper:
The 787 Dreamliner is a widebody, twin-engine plane. This is the first crash ever of a Boeing 787 aircraft, the Associated Press reported, citing the Aviation Safety Network database.
Boeing said it was aware of the reports of the crash and was "working to gather more information."
Aviation consultant John M. Cox, the CEO of Safety Operating Systems, told the AP from Los Angeles that while the first images of the crash were poor, it appeared the aircraft had its nose up and was not climbing, which is one of the things that investigators would look at.
Air India’s chairman, Natarajan Chandrasekaran, told the AP at the moment "our primary focus is on supporting all the affected people and their families."
Chandrasekaran said on X that the airline had set up an emergency center and support team for families seeking information about those who were on the flight.
"Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of all those affected by this devastating event," he said.
Previous air disasters in India
Local perspective:
India has experienced plane crashes in the past, with the last major passenger plane crash in India happening in 2020, when an Air India Express Boeing-737 skidded off a hilltop runway in southern India, killing 21 people.
According to the Associated Press, the worst air disaster in India was on Nov. 12, 1996, when a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight collided midair with a Kazakhastan Airlines Flight near Charki Dadri in Haryana state, killing all 349 on board the two planes.
The crash occurred days before the opening of the Paris Air Show, a major aviation expo where Boeing and European rival Airbus will showcase their aircraft and battle for jet orders from airline customers.
The AP noted that Boeing had been in recovery mode for over six years after Lion Air Flight 610, a Boeing 737 Max 8, plunged into the Java Sea off the coast of Indonesia minutes after takeoff from Jakarta, killing all 189 people on board. Five months later, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, a Boeing 737 Max 8, crashed after takeoff from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, killing 157 passengers and crew members.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by the Associated Press, which received comments from the director general of civil aviation about the plane crash, and the Hindustan Times, who spoke with the survivor at a hospital. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.