In a devastating aviation disaster, Air India Flight 171 crashed just minutes after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12, killing at least 241 people. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, en route to London Gatwick, slammed into a medical college campus shortly after departing Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The crash left a horrific scene: charred remains, burned-out classrooms, and aircraft wreckage strewn across rooftops. A large portion of the tail was found embedded in the college structure. Ahmedabad Police Commissioner G.S. Malik initially confirmed the recovery of 204 bodies and warned that fatalities likely included residents in the densely populated area surrounding the crash.

In a stunning turn, authorities later confirmed one survivor: 40-year-old British national Vishwas Kumar Ramesh. Originally from India, Ramesh was traveling with his brother Ajay and recounted the harrowing moment the plane went down. “Thirty seconds after takeoff, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed,” he told local media. “When I got up, there were bodies all around me.” He remains hospitalized, clinging to hope and pleading for help in locating his brother. Among the other victims were London couple Jamie and Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek, who had posted a lighthearted farewell video before their flight, unknowingly recording their final moments. As investigators work to uncover the cause of the crash, Ramesh’s survival offers a small glimmer of light in an overwhelmingly dark tragedy. The global community mourns with the families affected by this heartbreaking loss.