PM Modi Visits Plane Crash Site, Meets Sole Survivor

In the dry early morning light of Gujarat, where twisted metal and ash mark the site of what should have been an ordinary domestic flight, one man’s story has somehow defied probability. His name is Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British citizen of Indian descent—and the only confirmed survivor of the Air India crash that occurred just after takeoff this week.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who flew to the crash site on Friday, met Ramesh at a nearby hospital and later shared a short message on X (formerly Twitter), calling the devastation “saddening.” And it was—parts of the aircraft had plummeted into a nearby residential block, triggering fires, panic, and the tragic loss of over 70 lives.

But in the middle of that horror, Ramesh somehow found a sliver of space—quite literally—to escape.

A split-second decision, and a door broken open

According to India’s national broadcaster Doordarshan, Ramesh recalled the plane stalling just moments after takeoff. “The lights came on,” he said, “and then it just tried to gain speed—but it never really climbed.” Seconds later, chaos.

The part of the aircraft where Ramesh was seated slammed into a lower rooftop. He told reporters that the impact cracked open a section of the fuselage near him. Disoriented but conscious, he unfastened his seatbelt, crawled toward the exit, and pulled himself into open air.

“When I opened my eyes,” he said in a voice still trembling from the experience, “I realised I was alive.”

Modi walks the wreckage, symbolism in hand

Modi’s visit was, in many ways, both expected and symbolic. Gujarat is his home state, and the tragedy unfolded just kilometers from his political base. But beyond the political optics, there was a notable tone of restraint—something uncharacteristic of modern disaster photo ops. His meeting with Ramesh appeared personal. No grand gestures. Just words.

To be honest, it reminded me of those rare moments in public life when political leaders seem to genuinely pause—when grief, not agenda, drives the visit.

What comes next?

Authorities have yet to provide conclusive answers on what went wrong. Preliminary theories suggest a mechanical failure during takeoff, though a full investigation by India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is now underway.

For now, there’s just grief, debris, and a lingering sense that we still don’t quite understand how one man made it out—when so many others didn’t.