Viswashkumar Ramesh, 40, the sole survivor of Air India Flight 171, is among the ranks of those spared by fate.

India’s aviation regulator has ordered special safety checks on Air India’s Boeing 787 fleet following the crash of one of its aircraft.

There have been cases of a very small number of survivors in very serious accidents, but it is "very rare" for there to be only one, a professor told Newsweek.