Vishwashkumar Ramesh, who was sitting in seat 11A onboard Air India flight AI171 to Gatwick, walked away from the incident, in which all 241 other passengers and crew were killed, making it the world’s worst aviation disaster for a decade.
These included a further 52 British nationals, 169 Indians, seven Portuguese and one Canadian. Ramesh’s brother told the BBC he had no idea how he escaped.
Footage of the incident shows the aircraft, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, taking off at 1.39pm local time (8.09am GMT) before subsequently failing to gain altitude. Less than 30 seconds later, it crashes in a fireball.
Flight AI171 had been due to land at Gatwick at 6.25pm BST. It is feared many more on the ground in Ahmedabad may have died after the aircraft struck several buildings as it came down, including a medical college hostel.
Efforts to recover the aircraft’s two black box flight recorders are under way. Investigators from the UK and the US have offered their services in support of authorities in India.
The Boeing 787 had an unblemished safety record to date with zero fatalities since it was launched around 15 years ago. Boeing recently celebrated the model racking up one billion passengers.
India’s prime minister Narendra Modi has visited the crash site, while UK prime minister Keir Starmer described the incident as "devastating". "My thoughts are with the passengers and their families at this deeply distressing time," he said.
Foreign secretary David Lammy chaired a meeting of the government’s emergency committee late on Thursday and is liaising with crisis teams in both India and the UK. A reception centre for affected families has been set up at Gatwick.
The Foreign Office said consular assistance was available for those with concerns about friends and family.
