Sole Survivor Emerges from Tragic Air India Crash, Found in Seat 11A

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A miraculous survival emerged from the Air India plane crash on Thursday, June 12, 2025. Ramesh Vishwaskumar Bucharvada was the sole passenger to survive the catastrophe.

"The police found one survivor in seat 11A," said Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik as reported by CBS News. He said the person was "in the hospital and is under treatment."

Vishwash, a 40-year-old British national, had been in India for several days visiting family and was scheduled to return to the UK with his brother, Ajay Kumar Ramesh, 45. Vishwash is currently recovering at Asarwa Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

"Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly," Vishwash, who received “impact injuries” on his chest, eyes and feet, told Hindustan Times. He sustained impact injuries to his chest, eyes, and legs.

Still clutching his boarding pass, Vishwash told Hindustan Times, "When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran. There were pieces of the plane all around me."

Vishwash shared that he has lived in London for 20 years, where his wife and child also reside. He mentioned that his brother, Ajay, was seated in a different row on the plane. "We visited Diu. He was traveling with me and I can’t find him anymore. Please help me find him," he pleaded.

The Air India flight, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for Gatwick, London, carried 242 people, including cabin crew. It took off at 1:39 p.m. on Thursday. The plane crashed within minutes, then caught fire after striking a doctor's hostel. In addition to the passengers and crew, the crash also claimed the lives of at least five hostel occupants.

Earlier, local police reported that over 200 bodies had been transported to Ahmedabad hospitals. Separately, the rescue team indicated they had recovered between 30 and 35 bodies from the crash site.

Images from the crash site, shared on X by the central Indian police, showed the plane's tail visible against the wall of a building. Other images depicted rescue teams standing beside the charred wreckage and fallen trees near a residential complex.

An airline spokesperson told NBC News that the plane carried 230 passengers and 12 crew members. In a separate statement, the airline specified that among the passengers were 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, 1 Canadian, and 7 Portuguese nationals. The airline did not specify the nationality of the crew. 

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