AHMEDABAD, INDIA – A devastating crash involving an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner en route to London left a trail of tragedy in Ahmedabad on Wednesday morning, with only one known survivor emerging from the wreckage—a British national of Indian origin, who now lies in a local hospital, bruised but alive, reported by NDTV.
The aircraft, carrying 242 passengers and fully loaded with fuel for its transcontinental journey, crashed less than a minute after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. It plowed into a medical college hostel for resident doctors, igniting a massive blaze that claimed at least five lives on the ground. Officials fear the toll could rise as rescue efforts continue.
Identified as Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, the lone survivor was seated in 11A when he heard what he described as a “loud noise” just 30 seconds into the flight.
“Thirty seconds after takeoff, there was a loud noise—and then the crash. It all happened so quickly,” Mr. Ramesh told Hindustan Times from his hospital bed, visibly shaken and nursing injuries to his chest. He had been returning to the United Kingdom with his elder brother, Ajay Kumar Rakesh, 45, who was seated several rows away. Ramesh is now pleading for information about his brother’s whereabouts.
The crash has sent shockwaves across the aviation community, especially given the reputation of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner as one of the most advanced and reliable commercial jets in service. But within 32 seconds of flight, something clearly went terribly wrong.
Surveillance footage from the airport shows the aircraft accelerating normally on the runway and lifting off without any immediate sign of malfunction. However, moments after takeoff, the plane failed to gain the expected altitude, maintaining a disturbingly level trajectory before plummeting.
A mayday call was issued by the captain just before impact. The aircraft struck the rooftop of the hostel, setting off an inferno that was fed by over 100,000 liters of aviation turbine fuel, according to Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The fire, described by first responders as nearly “unapproachable,” hampered early rescue efforts.
The flight was under the command of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a seasoned pilot with 8,200 hours of flying experience. His co-pilot, First Officer Clive Kundar, had logged 1,100 hours. Both are presumed dead, pending official confirmation.
As investigators from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Boeing begin their probe, the focus turns to the aircraft’s black box, which may shed light on the final seconds before the crash.
For now, in a hospital ward miles from the smoldering ruins, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh clings to life—and hope. “I just want to know if my brother made it,” he said softly, a lone voice echoing through the grief.
