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The aviation world was shaken on June 12, 2025, when Air India flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner carrying 242 people, crashed just 33 seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The Air India flight, en route to London, plummeted into an intern’s hostel at BJ Medical College, claiming the lives of 241 passengers and crew members, except for one person. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British citizen of Indian origin, was the lone survivor of the crash.
As investigators work to determine the cause of the Air India disaster, the final family selfie of a victim, a doctor from Rajasthan, with her husband and their three children, continues to be widely circulated on social media. According to the Times of India, the family has been identified as Dr. Komi Vyas, a physician who had recently resigned her job to join her husband, Dr. Prateek Joshi, in London. The couple was accompanied by their three children, Miraya, Pradyut, and Nakul, when the tragedy occurred.
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Podcaster Matt Wallace took to X on June 12 to express his sentiments about the picture. He wrote,
"This is one of the saddest photos ever taken."
More about the Air India AI171 crash
According to several reports, the lone survivor, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, was sitting in seat 11A, next to an emergency exit, when the plane collided with the medical college complex near Ahmedabad’s airport. In his first interview from the hospital, he described the harrowing seconds before his getaway.
"Even I can't believe how I came out of it alive. For a moment, I felt like I was going to die too. But when I opened my eyes and looked around, I realised I was alive. I still can't believe how I survived,” Vishwash Kumar told DD News.
He detailed what he believed was the stalling of the aircraft in mid-air just seconds after takeoff.
“When the flight took off, within 5 to 10 seconds it felt like it was stuck in the air. Suddenly, the lights started flickering – green and white – then the plane rammed into some establishment that was there,” he said.
His side of the plane stayed upright while the other side was on fire. Seeing the emergency exit, he crawled out of it with burns on his left hand. As per the Times of India, Vishwash was accompanied by his brother, who was seated across the aisle in 11J. However, his brother is believed to have perished in the crash.
I saw people dying in front of my eyes – the air hostesses, and two people I saw near me…I walked out of the rubble,” he added.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi uploaded a post on X, expressing his condolences. He also visited the crash site, as well as the injured, including Vishwash Kumar.
According to the BBC, the Air India crash claimed the lives of 169 Indians, 53 Britons, 7 Portuguese nationals, 1 Canadian, and 12 crew members. Authorities are working to determine the cause of the crash.
