It was a moment that could have ended in certain death—but somehow, one man survived. In a tragedy that stunned India and the world, Air India Flight 171 crashed shortly after takeoff in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025, killing 241 passengers and crew members and five others on the ground. Only one soul, 40-year-old Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, walked away alive.
“Everything happened in front of my eyes. I thought I would die,” Ramesh told NDTV from his hospital bed, still bandaged and bloodied from the crash. “But when I opened my eyes, I saw I was alive. And I opened my seatbelt and got out of there.”
For Catholics, Ramesh’s survival stands as a reminder of divine providence—of the mysterious workings of grace even in the heart of chaos. Though Ramesh himself has not spoken of his faith publicly, his escape from a fiery wreck that killed 246 others evokes the language of miracles.
According to NDTV and ABC News, Ramesh was seated next to the emergency door of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. When the aircraft split in two upon impact, his section collapsed into the ground floor of a medical college building. “There was some space. When the door broke, I saw that space and I just jumped out,” he said. “The door must’ve broken on impact… I ran. I don’t know how.”
His brother, Nayankumar Ramesh, said, “It’s a miracle.” He told ABC News, “Just hearing about the crash, I’m scared to fly now… I don’t know how [my brother] exited the plane.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling the tragedy “heartbreaking beyond words,” met with Ramesh in his hospital room on Friday. Photos show the survivor sitting upright, his face bruised but alive, receiving the support of his country’s leader (AFP/Getty via YouTube).
Doctors treating Ramesh say his survival is nothing short of extraordinary. Dr. Dhaval Gameti told AP that Ramesh had “multiple injuries all over his body” but “seems to be out of danger.”
Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg expressed condolences, noting, “Our deepest condolences go out to the loved ones… a Boeing team stands ready to support the investigation led by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.”
Yet it is Ramesh’s own words that remain the most haunting—and perhaps the most spiritual. “For a while, I thought I was about to die,” he told Doordarshan. “The air hostess… died before my eyes.”
And yet, he lived. Not because of anything he did, but perhaps because it was not yet his time.
In Catholic tradition, moments like these are seen through the lens of mystery. God’s hand often moves silently, in tragedy and in deliverance. As Psalm 91:7 says: “A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you.”
Let us pray for the souls of those who perished, for the loved ones left behind, and for Vishwash Kumar Ramesh—that he may one day understand why he alone survived, and what mission God may still have for him.
