Alert – The miracle of seat 11A and the tragedy of seat 11J: Two British brothers boarded Air India flight but only one left alive – family’s joy and dread as father is sole survivor but sibling is missing

The British brother of the only man to survive Air India’s devastating plane crash is today pictured by as their family weeps with joy and dread.

Ajaykumar Ramesh, 35, and Viswash, 40, had been in India on a business trip before they boarded the doomed flight travelling from Ahmedabad to Gatwick on Thursday.

In what has been described as a miracle, Viswash – seated in 11A by the exit – survived, but his sibling who was sat on the other side of the aisle in seat 11J perished in the fireball explosion.

Devastatingly, injured Viswash has been begging from his hospital bed: ‘Find Ajay, you must find Ajay.’

Last night, relatives gathered at the family’s terraced home in Leicester to comfort the brothers’ mother who is said to be too grief-stricken to speak.

‘It’s a miracle at least one of them survived,’ younger brother Nayankumar Ramesh, 27, told us.  

‘He said his plane had crashed and he couldn’t find anyone, we couldn’t believe it. There was blood running down his face.

‘You can see in the picture (in the Indian Press taken in hospital) that he has been injured. We’re flying out there tomorrow.’

Hours after the crash, Nayan said the family were desperate for news about what happened to Ajay, as his phone was still ringing out when they called it. 

Air India later confirmed that 241 of the 242 people aboard flight AI171 died in the crash – meaning all hope of Ajay’s survival was dashed. 

‘We’re so confused’, Nayankumar said before the news. ‘We’re hoping he’s survived and been taken to hospital as well.’

Ajaykumar Ramesh (left) who died in Thursday’s plane crash and his brother Viswashkumar Ramesh (right), who miraculously survived

Ajaykumar, 35, was sat relatively near his brother who miraculously survived

The plane momentarily disappeared from view behind trees and buildings before a massive fireball erupted on the horizon 

The siblings had been a few seats apart onboard the plane, with survivor Viswash sat at 11A and his younger brother positioned at 11J on the other side of the aisle

Viswash lying in hospital with a bloodied face and injuries after the tragic crash, which claimed the life of his younger brother 

Younger brother Nayan Ramesh, who spoke of the heartbreak of losing one brother while another survived 

Asked how the family are wrestling with the tragedy of one brother surviving and the loss of the other, he gestured to his sobbing mother, Manibai Ramesh, behind him.

‘That’s your answer’, the brother said. ‘We’re just baffled, baffled.’ 

He added: ‘It’s a miracle at least one of them survived.’ 

Nayan said his older siblings were in India on a business trip concerning their family business. Viswash was formerly the sole director of textile company RMV Fashion, which closed down in 2022. 

The brothers’ cousin Ajay Valgi, from Leicester, told how Viswash called his family to say he was ‘fine’ after fleeing the burning aircraft. 

But while they miraculously heard from one brother, younger sibling Ajaykumar was tragically never in touch. 

Cousin Ajay told the BBC: ‘I’m feeling absolutely upset. He’s not just my cousin, he’s also one of my best friends as well.

‘They were sitting next to each other, but we don’t know what happened to [Ajay]. 

‘We’re not doing well. We’re all upset,’ he added. 

Astonishing footage showed Viswash with visible injuries hobbling away from the scene of the crash. He reportedly sustained injuries to his chest, eyes and feet. 

Police found the passenger in a residential area in Gujarat, and transferred him to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Speaking to local media from his hospital bed, Viswash said his brother had been sitting on a nearby row, adding: ‘I can’t find him anymore.’ 

‘Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly,’ he added.

‘When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran.

‘There were pieces of the plane all around me. Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital.’

Police said Viswash had ‘managed to escape by jumping out the emergency door’.  

A hospital medic reportedly claimed the survivor told him how the jet had suddenly split in half, throwing him out before a huge explosion. 

Another added: ‘He told us he had been on the plane that crashed, but no one believed him at first.’ 

Brother Nayan said his brother was in disbelief at how he got out alive, saying on the phone: ‘I have no idea how I survived or exited the plane.’

‘When he was on the runway, my dad called him. And Viswash said, “oh, we’re going to take off soon”,’ he said. 

‘And then literally like two minutes later, he video called my dad as he crashed.

‘He said, “our plane’s crashed, I don’t know where my brother is. I don’t see any other passengers. I don’t know how I’m alive, how I exited the plane”.

‘All he was worried about on the phone was telling us “find Ajay, you must find Ajay”,’ Nayan added. 

Members of a local community stand outside the Leicester family home of Viswash, the British survivor of the London-bound Air India aircraft crash 

People stand outside the survivor's family home in Leicester on Thursday after news of the crash 

Astonishing footage showed the man walking away from the scene with some visible injuries to his face

A video posted to social media appeared to show the plane descending in a controlled manner with a high nose angle and landing gear deployed

Viswash, who lives in London with his wife and child, was travelling home when the plane crashed, hitting buildings housing doctors in the city of Ahmedabad. 

On the ground, police said they had found another survivor in the hospital struck by the plane. The confirmed death toll has climbed to at least 260 people, according to police.

Before the discovery of the British survivor, authorities said that they believed no one had escaped the flight alive.

There were 53 British nationals on board as well as 159 Indian nationals, seven Portuguese citizens and a Canadian. Eleven of those on board were children, including two newborns.

The plane's captain Sumeet Sabharwal, who had 8,200 hours of flying experience, desperately cried 'Mayday…no thrust, losing power, unable to lift' before the aircraft went down and hit a residential property. 

Footage appears to show Captain Sabharwal and his co-pilot Clive Kundar hopelessly trying to nudge up the nose of their sinking aircraft moments before the devastating impact. 

Aviation experts said the Boeing 787 Dreamliner may have suddenly lost power 'at the most critical phase of flight' after takeoff.

The possible causes are believed to include a rapid change in wind or a bird strike leading to a double engine stall. 

A family member cries upon hearing the news of her brother who died when the Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane crashed in Ahmedabad, India, June 12, 2025

Rescue team members work as smoke rises at the site in Ahmedabad, India, June 12, 2025

People look at the debris of an Air India plane crashed in Ahmedabad of India's Gujarat state

The number of fatalities is not yet known but rescuers said at least 30 bodies have so far been recovered from a building

Firefighters work at the site of the crash near Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport

Officials from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau were at the scene to carry out an analysis of the wreckage and retrieve the stricken jet's black box. 

Videos shared on social media showed the plane rapidly losing altitude - with its nose up - before it hit a building and erupted in a violent explosion.

Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik confirmed that one passenger somehow survived the crash. 

'The police found one survivor in seat 11A. He has been taken to the hospital and is currently receiving treatment,' he told news agency ANI. 

'As for the number of casualties, it's too early to confirm. The crash occurred in a residential area, so the death toll may rise.'

The Boeing jet crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad Airport in Gujarat at around 1.40pm (0810 GMT), officials said.

Ahmedabad, the main city of India's Gujarat state, is home to around eight million people, and the busy airport is surrounded by densely packed residential areas.

'When we reached the spot there were several bodies lying around and firefighters were dousing the flames,' resident Poonam Patni said.

'Our office is near the building where the plane crashed. We saw people from the building jumping from the second and third floor to save themselves. The plane was in flames,' said one resident, who declined to be named. 

Raxa Modha (left) was on the doomed flight so tragically died in the crash on Thursday 

Akeel Nanawaba (left), 36, his wife Hannaa (right), 30, and their four-year-old daughter Sarah were flying home from a five-day family celebration when the Air India Dreamliner crashed shortly after take-off. They also died in the tragedy 

Jamie Greenlaw-Meek, 45, (right) and husband Fiongal, 39, lived in London, ran a wellness and healthy lifestyle company called the Wellness Foundry, and had been in India on holiday. They also died in the ill-fated flight

A view of the site where a plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in India's western state of Gujarat on June 12, 2025

Wreckage of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner lies at the site where the Air India plane crashed in Ahmedabad, India, June 12, 2025

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the scenes from the crash were 'devastating', in a statement addressing passengers and their families 'at this deeply distressing time'. 

The UK government said it was sending a team to support the investigation. 

Boeing said it was 'working to gather more information' on the incident which a source close to the case said was the first crash for a 787 Dreamliner. 

A police official who told the BBC on Thursday night that all the bodies and their remains had been removed from the site of the crash. 

'It took hours to make sense of the chaos. And it's going to take many more hours to completely clear up the site,' he said. 

Lt. Col. John R. Davidson, a former US Air Force pilot and commercial aviation safety consultant, said the plane appeared to have reached takeoff speed but not altitude, according to flight data, suggesting 'either a very late rotation or a stall shortly after takeoff'. 

'There are a number of possible scenarios: thrust or engine performance issues, excessive aircraft weight, poor trim or flap configuration, or a more critical failure that affected the aircraft's ability to climb,' he said.

'Weather, windshear or even bird strike can't be ruled out either at this early stage.'

Preliminary flight tracking data from flightradar24 reveals the plane reached an altitude of just 625ft after takeoff - a height far below standard for a commercial aircraft several minutes into departure. 

Captain Saurabh Bhatnagar, a former senior pilot, told NDTV that circulating footage showing the plane's terrifying descent 'looked like a case of multiple bird hits wherein both the engines have lost power'.

'The takeoff was perfect,' he said. 'And just, I believe, short of taking the gear up, the aircraft started descending, which can happen only in case the engine loses power or the aircraft stops developing lift.' 

Aviation expert Sanjay Lazar noted that the Dreamliner was only 11 years old, so was unlikely to have underlying technical issues. 

A bird strike 'would explain why the aircraft did not have the power to lift,' he said. 'If there were multiple bird hits on take-off, it probably could not have gone beyond the 6-7 minute threshold and started falling.' 

In pilots' forums, aviation experts said that it sounded like the plane's Ram Air Turbine (RAT), an emergency wind turbine, had been deployed shortly before the crash.

Parts of the jet appeared to have smashed into the BJ Medical College and Civil Hospital

Remnants of the fuselage and the landing gear were seen dangling through a gaping hole in the side of what appeared to be a canteen, with half-finished plates of food clearly visible on benches inside

The tail of the Dreamliner plane that crashed, hitting buildings in a residential area

Rescuers work at the site of an airplane that crashed in India's northwestern city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat state, Thursday, June12, 2025

Davidson explained that the low altitude and high speed reading at the final moment might indicate a 'steep nose-down trajectory or a stall event' just after takeoff.

'This is consistent with accidents like Spanair Flight 5022 and Flydubai Flight 981, where mechanical or environmental factors combined with compromised lift performance led to loss of control during or just after liftoff,' he said.

The former pilot noted: 'Flight data alone isn't enough to determine fault — but it tells us this aircraft never truly made it airborne in a meaningful way. 

'Whatever happened, it happened fast, and right at the most critical phase of flight.'

According to data logs recorded at 30-second intervals showed the plane remained on the ground or was taxiing slowly for over four minutes after it first registered on public trackers.

The plane took off and reached 625ft, but no further gains in altitude were recorded before the crash. 

India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation said the plane sent a mayday call moments before the tragedy unfolded. 

Prof Paul Williams, Professor of Atmospheric Science, University of Reading, observed: 'At the time of the departure, the weather conditions at the airport appear to have been very good. 

'It was a dry and sunny day in Ahmedabad, with temperatures near 40°C. 

'There was good visibility and light winds from the west. There was no bad weather in the vicinity.

'There is no indication at this stage that turbulence or other weather conditions were a factor in the crash.'

Prof John McDermid, Lloyd's Register Chair of Safety, University of York, noted: 'It's surprising that the accident occurred before the aircraft had even got to 200metres altitude. 

'Pilots can abort take-off until quite late in the take-off roll, so it seems like the problem occurred very suddenly in the final part of the take-off roll, or shortly after take-off, and was sufficiently serious to be unmanageable. 

'Given the levels of redundancy in systems, the fact that aircraft are designed to climb out on only one engine, etc. on initial sight this seems a very surprising accident.'

Peter Neenan, aviation lawyer and Partner at UK law firm Stewarts, explained that there would likely be a joint investigation to uncover the cause of the tragedy.

'In due course, the Indian Directorate of General Civil Aviation will begin their investigation,' he said.

'The US National Transportation Safety Board will assist in that investigation and given the number of deaths of British nationals, we would expect the UK Air Accident Investigation Branch to also assist.'

He noted that such investigations 'routinely take two or more years to complete'.

Civilians surround parts of the jet that seemingly smashed into a medical college canteen

The Air India flight to London with 242 people on board, including two pilots and 10 cabin crew members, crashed Thursday shortly after takeoff from an airport in Gujarat

Debris is seen at the site where Air India flight 171 crashed in a residential area near the airport in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025

The Air India flight crashed minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad airport

The jet careened back to earth in the densely populated Meghani area of the city.

Dark images showed the remains of bodies on the site, while other pictures shared to social media revealed chunks of the plane's fuselage and tail protruding from a demolished building. 

Parts of the jet smashed into accommodation for doctors practising at the BJ Medical College and Civil Hospital.

Remnants of the fuselage and the landing gear were seen dangling through a gaping hole in the side of what appeared to be a canteen, with half-finished plates of food clearly visible on benches inside.

'The building on which it has crashed is a doctors' hostel... we have cleared almost 70% to 80% of the area and will clear the rest soon,' a senior police officer told reporters at the scene.

Firefighters doused the smouldering piles of debris with their hoses as photos and videos taken by horrified residents in Meghani showed a huge plume of thick black smoke emanating from the crash site.

'Our office is near the building where the plane crashed. We saw people from the building jumping from the second and third floor to save themselves. The plane was in flames,' said one resident, who declined to be named. 

Chunks of the plane's fuselage and tail were seen protruding from a demolished building

The tail of the jet is seen protruding from a building in the Meghani area of the city 

Emergency personnel work at the crash site of an Air India plane in Ahmedabad, India, June 12, 2025

Rescuers work at the site of an airplane that crashed in India's northwestern city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat state, Thursday, June12, 2025

British Foreign Minister David Lammy said he was 'deeply saddened' by news of the crash, adding that Britain was now working with Indian authorities to establish exactly what led to the incident.

'My thoughts are with all those affected. The UK is working with local authorities in India to urgently establish the facts and provide support,' his statement read.

The Indian aviation minister's office said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who described the crash as 'heartbreaking beyond words', had directed it to ensure all support was extended to the rescue efforts immediately.

All relevant agencies were on high alert and coordinated efforts were underway, the aviation minister's office added.

Air India's Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran shared a heartfelt statement that read: 'With profound sorrow I confirm that Air India Flight 171 operating Ahmedabad London Gatwick was involved in a tragic accident today.

'Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of all those affected by this devastating event. At this moment, our primary focus is on supporting all the affected people and their families.

'We are doing everything in our power to assist the emergency response teams at the site and to provide all necessary support and care to those impacted.'

Gatwick Airport subsequently confirmed the flight that was due to land at 18:25 on Thursday had crashed on departure.

Aviation expert Julian Bray told : 'It's a Boeing Dreamliner that has gone down - not certain whether they've managed to get anybody off the plane.

'If it has indeed crash-landed and they can deploy the chutes out then they should be able to get people off in 90 seconds. I am aware there are fire appliances in attendance - this is a major incident.

'It is very disappointing that it is a Dreamliner as it is a state-of-the-art Boeing. We cannot rule out security issues. But this is all speculation on my part.'

The cause of the crash is not yet known. Emergency services are en route to the scene

Firefighters work at the site of an airplane that crashed in India's northwestern city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat state, Thursday, June12, 202

Weather conditions were calm at the time of the accident with clear skies and a windspeed of just seven knots, or eight miles per hour. 

Indian news agency ANI reported police sources had confirmed 242 people were on board the flight. 

India's aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu said in a statement: 'Shocked and devastated to learn about the flight crash in Ahmedabad. We are on highest alert. 

'I am personally monitoring the situation and have directed all aviation and emergency response agencies to take swift and coordinated action. 

'Rescue teams have been mobilised, and all efforts are being made to ensure medical aid and relief support are being rushed to the site. My thoughts and prayers are with all those on board and their families.'

The Director General of India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is en route to the site of the incident with a team of investigators, according to the Times of India. 

Air India shared a brief statement in the wake of the disaster, writing on X: 'Flight AI171, operating Ahmedabad-London Gatwick, was involved in an incident today, 12 June 2025. 

'At this moment, we are ascertaining the details and will share further updates at the earliest.'

Ahmedabad is the main city in Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat.

The plane is seen descending rapidly with landing gear deployed seconds before erupting in a fireball

Citizens descended on the wreckage in the hope of finding survivors

Firefighters work at the site of an airplane that crashed in India's northwestern city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat state, Thursday, June12, 2025

The flight reportedly reached an altitude of just 625 feet before it began to descend, according to flight tracking service Flightradar 24, which declared the plane's transponder signal dropped just seconds after it left the runway

Firefighters at the scene doused the smouldering piles of debris with their hoses as photos and videos taken by horrified residents in Meghani showed a huge plume of thick black smoke emanating from the crash site

Shocked residents are seen standing close to the scene as firefighters work to extinguish flames

Shocking images shared to social media showed a huge trail of smoke emanating from the crash site near the international airport on Thursday morning

Thick plumes of black smoke are seen rising from the site of the crash

Smoke trails at the scene of the crash which happened on Thursday morning 

The 787 Dreamliner involved in the crash is a widebody, twin-engine plane. It is believed to be the first ever of a Boeing 787 aircraft, according to the Aviation Safety Network database. 

The last fatal plane crash in India was in 2020 and involved Air India Express, the airline's low-cost arm.

The airline's Boeing-737 overshot a 'table-top' runway at Kozhikode International Airport in southern India. The plane skidded off the runway, plunging into a valley and crashing nose-first into the ground.

Twenty-one people were killed in that crash.

The formerly state-owned Air India was taken over by Indian conglomerate Tata Group in 2022, and merged with Vistara - a joint venture between the group and Singapore Airlines – in 2024.

Tata said an emergency centre had been activated and a support team set up for families seeking information.

Thursday's tragedy is the latest in a string of disasters involving Boeing jets and comes just six months after a 737 crashed in South Korea, killing 179. 

In October 2018, Boeing's Lion Air flight 610 plunged into the Java Sea shortly after takeoff from Jakarta, in Indonesia killing all 189 people on board. 

Then, in March 2019, Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 crashed minutes after departing Addis Ababa, resulting in the deaths of 157 passengers and crew. 

Shares of planemaker Boeing fell 8% in premarket US trading following today's incident. 

Boeing said in a statement it was aware of initial reports and was working to gather more information.