Miracle in Ahmedabad: a plane crashed with 242 people on board and there is only one survivor

This Thursday, an air catastrophe shook the city of Ahmedabad, in western India. An Air India plane bound for London crashed minutes after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Airport.

Flight 171, operated by a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, was carrying 232 passengers and 12 crew members. Among them were Indian, British, Portuguese citizens, and one Canadian.

The aircraft crashed to the ground just as it reached 623 feet (190 meters) in altitude. It was around 1:00 p.m. (local time) when the impact occurred in a residential area near the airport.

The tragedy was immediate. The plane was loaded with fuel, which caused a massive explosion. Columns of black smoke were visible for miles, while rescue teams tried to contain the fire and access the wreckage.

So far, 204 bodies have been found. Initially, authorities reported that there were no survivors, and Air India described the incident as a "tragic accident" in a brief statement.

What caused the air accident? Preliminary hypotheses

The causes of the crash have not yet been confirmed. However, some experts pointed to a possible bird strike.

Retired Captain Saurabh Bhatnagar told NDTV that, based on the way the plane began to descend after an apparently normal takeoff, it could be a case of multiple bird strikes to the engines.

That theory was supported by Sanjay Lazar, another aviation expert, who explained that the loss of power due to failures in both engines would have prevented the plane from surviving the critical first minutes of flight.

Both agreed that the plane, with only 11 years of service, had no known technical failures. The presence of birds in residential areas near the airport, they noted, is a factor that must be investigated.

Meanwhile, the airline activated an emergency center to assist the victims' families. Natarajan Chandrasekaran, chairman of Air India, expressed his sorrow and assured that all necessary support would be provided to those affected.

From the Indian government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on his social media that the tragedy had "stunned and saddened" him, while his British counterpart, Keir Starmer, described the event as "devastating."

He appeared walking among the wreckage: the only survivor

Hours after the accident, an unusual image went around the world. Amid the smoldering remains of the Boeing 787-8, an injured man was seen walking toward an ambulance, staggering and with bloodied clothes.

He was Ramesh Vishwashkumar, a 48-year-old British citizen. He was seated in 11A and, according to local media, was the only survivor.

Vishwashkumar had traveled to India to visit his family and was returning to London with his brother, Ajay Kumar Ramesh, 45. Both had spent a few days in the city of Diu.

"When I woke up, there were bodies around me. I ran, I was scared," the man told the Hindustan Times. He still had his boarding pass when he entered the hospital.

In the viral video, he is seen surrounded by people trying to help him, while he appeared dazed and showed signs of pain and anger. He was desperately searching for his brother among the debris.

Images taken after the crash showed a horrific scene: bodies covered with fire-extinguishing foam, burned-out vehicles, and damaged buildings. It has not yet been confirmed whether there were victims on the ground.

The investigation continues. Authorities are analyzing the black boxes recovered from the plane and reviewing communications prior to the accident. Meanwhile, the world watches in astonishment at the only thread of life that emerged from a tragedy that seemed absolute.