On June 12, 2025, the world was shaken by this tragic incident, the deadliest in India in decades and the first fatal loss involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. That seconds matter in the sky was starkly reminded to all. The sole survivor’s walk from the flames represents both a miracle and an unimaginable loss.
What Happened So Far
A Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner (VT-ANB) was carrying 242 people, 230 passengers and 12 crew, when it crashed. Of these, 241 died, leaving one survivor.
Passengers included 169 Indians, 53 British, 7 Portuguese, and 1 Canadian, among them 13 children, including two infants. Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder were both killed, along with the rest of the crew.
On the ground, 19 people died and 67 were seriously injured, mostly medical students in nearby hostels, bringing the total death toll to 260. Identification relied largely on DNA due to the intensity of the fires.
Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was among the dead.
One Sole Survivor
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British national of Indian origin, around 39 to 40 years old, was seated in 11A near an emergency exit in the forward section. He was able to escape when the fuselage section detached, leaving an opening through which he walked away from the wreckage with only minor injuries. His brother, also on board, did not survive.
Preliminary Report
India’s AAIB, in a preliminary report dated July 12, 2025, disclosed that fuel cutoff switches—located beneath the throttles and secured by lever-locks—shifted to CUTOFF shortly after takeoff. Cockpit recordings show one pilot questioning the other, who denied responsibility.
A restart attempt yielded partial recovery in one engine, but too late to prevent the crash. No evidence of bird strike or fuel contamination was found. Both recorders were recovered and are under joint analysis with the NTSB, UK AAIB, Boeing, and GE.
Whether human error, mechanical failure, or a completely different reason may soon be revealed in the final report.