Air India Crash: Paramedic Who Witnessed Tragedy Shares Observation About Sole Survivor

• A deafening explosion shattered the afternoon calm at Ahmedabad’s Medicity hospital as Air India Flight AI-171 crashed into the BJ Medical College hostel
• Amid the chaos, paramedic supervisor Satinder Singh Sandhu rushed to the scene, encountering the lone survivor, Viswashkumar Ramesh, emerging from the flames
• What followed was a harrowing rescue operation, as first responders battled fire and devastation to save lives

On June 12, Satinder Singh Sandhu, a paramedic supervisor with GVK-EMRI emergency ambulance service, was having lunch with colleagues at the 1,200-bed Medicity hospital in Ahmedabad when a deafening explosion shook the area.

Running outside, Sandhu witnessed a man emerging from the BJ Medical College hostel gates, engulfed in flames, as a fire raged behind him.

The man was later identified as Viswashkumar Ramesh, the sole survivor of London-bound Air India Flight AI-171, which had crashed into the hostel soon after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.

First responder's swift action

Sandhu immediately sprang into action, directing his team to deploy ambulances to the crash site. Recounting the moments after the explosion, he said:

"I asked my team to deploy ambulances immediately while I rushed to the spot. When I got there, I realised this was a major incident. I called my head office and asked them to inform the police and send more ambulances. Meanwhile, five ambulances under my command reached the site."

Rescue amidst chaos

As Sandhu and his team arrived, they first encountered an injured hostel watchman and promptly transported him to the hospital. Moments later, Ramesh, visibly distressed, attempted to return to the site, insisting that his family member was trapped in the fire.

"We thought it must be a family member inside the hostel building. We didn’t know at that time that he was a passenger who had come out of the burning aircraft," Sandhu recalled.

"We finally managed to calm him down a little, seat him in one of the ambulances and send him to the hospital. He had injuries on his face, hands, and legs. He had burn marks across his body, but he was able to walk with a slight limp."

Survivor's harrowing tale

While en route to the hospital, Ramesh revealed that he had been seated in seat 11A next to the emergency exit of Flight AI-171. He had been traveling to the UK with his younger brother, Ajay Ramesh, but could not remember how he had escaped from the aircraft.

Ramesh remained in shock, consumed by thoughts of his brother, who was among the 241 passengers and ground personnel who perished. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner carried a total of 242 people.

Emergency response and scene of devastation

Sandhu’s fleet of ambulances arrived at the crash site within three minutes, at 1:41 pm, just moments after the 1:38 pm crash. Firefighters soon arrived to battle the inferno. When the smoke finally cleared, first responders witnessed horrific scenes—charred bodies strewn across the hostel compound and surrounding areas.

Sandhu was among the first to rush into the rubble, rescuing an estimated 20 to 25 people. His quick response helped save many lives in a tragedy that will remain etched in Ahmedabad’s history.

Specialist shares how survivor can heal

Weighing in on the emotional account of the survivor, mental health specialist, Duke Ezikpe Mma, said, public recognition of the victim’s experience can offer significant psychological relief.

Mma told Legit.ng:

"There is some form of healing that can come through people sympathizing with an individual especially when it is at the level of just recognizing the incident that happened to them. This helps the individual to express emotion. They cannot talk to everyone but they should talk to someone.”

Catholic priest shares what plane crash survivor should do

Legit.ng earlier reported that a Nigerian priest said it is not wrong if the lone survivor from the Air India plane crash thanks God for his life.

The priest was reacting to a comment which said it would be weird if people say God has a plan for the lone survivor, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh.

Editorial assistant Ololade Olatimehin provided exclusive commentary from a mental health expert for this report.

Source: Legit.ng