AHMEDABAD, India (BN24) — Air India confirmed Thursday that 241 people were killed when Flight 171 crashed shortly after takeoff in the northwestern Indian city of Ahmedabad, leaving only one known survivor—a British national of Indian origin.
In a statement released by the airline, officials said the 12-year-old Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner departed Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:38 p.m. local time, bound for London’s Gatwick Airport. The aircraft was carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members when it plunged into a student hostel near B.J. Medical College and Civil Hospital moments after departure.
“We regret to inform that, of the 242 aboard, there are 241 confirmed fatalities,” Air India said. “The sole survivor is being treated in a hospital. Air India offers its deepest condolences to the families of the deceased.”
The lone survivor has been identified as Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British national who was traveling with his brother. He was seen bloodied and limping away from the wreckage, according to visuals shared by emergency services and confirmed by local authorities.
In the United Kingdom, family members told Sky News that Vishwash called his father from India just before the flight departed—and again shortly after the crash.
“He called dad again after the plane crashed,” his brother, Nayan Kumar Ramesh, told Sky News. “He said he couldn’t find my other brother, Ajay. He said, ‘I don’t know how I’m alive, how I exited the plane. I don’t see any other passengers.’”
A flight manifest obtained by NBC News listed Ajay Kumar Ramesh as occupying seat 11J. The family said they have received no word on his condition and fear the worst.
“This is a miracle that Vishwash survived,” Nayan added. “But what other miracle is there for my other brother?”
Air India said a team of caregivers has been dispatched to Ahmedabad to assist grieving families. The airline pledged full cooperation with Indian and international investigators looking into the cause of the crash.
The disaster marks the deadliest aviation tragedy in India in over a decade and the first fatal crash involving a Boeing 787 aircraft, according to the Aviation Safety Network.
