Forty-year-old Vishwashkumar Ramesh, the only survivor of a recent Air India plane crash, has shared his chilling experience of narrowly escaping death.
Survivor Shares Gripping Escape from Air India Plane Crash Wreckage
Survivor Shares Gripping Escape from Air India Plane Crash Wreckage
A remarkable survival story emerges from the tragic Air India crash as the sole survivor recounts his harrowing escape.
Vishwashkumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British citizen, found himself in a nightmare scenario when the Air India Boeing 787 flight he was on crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, India, on Thursday. Ramesh was seated in 11A when the aircraft encountered trouble. In a courageous recounting from his hospital bed, he revealed how he was able to unbuckle himself and push through a gap in the aircraft’s fuselage to escape the wreckage.
"I managed to unbuckle myself, used my leg to push through that opening, and crawled out,” he told Indian state news outlet DD News. Tragically, all other passengers and crew, including 169 Indian nationals and 52 British citizens, perished in the crash. Official reports indicate that over 200 bodies have been recovered, but many details remain unclear, as search efforts continue.
Ramesh described the tense moments just before the crash, recalling how the lights inside the airplane began to flicker. “Within five to ten seconds, it felt like the plane was stuck in the air," he shared. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner collided with a building used for medical staff housing at the nearby Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College and Civil Hospital, yet somehow, the section where Ramesh was seated remained detached from the impact.
After freeing himself, Ramesh was seen walking towards medical assistance amidst smoke rising from the wreckage. “I saw people dying in front of my eyes - the air hostesses, and two people I saw near me,” he recalled, describing the horror of the scene including his own feeling of impending doom. Remarkably, his escape from the destruction left him disoriented with various injuries, yet he is projected to be out of immediate danger.
In the aftermath, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a visit to the crash site and the injured in the hospital, including Ramesh. Meanwhile, British officials have reached out to offer consular support to the survivor and his family.
Ramesh’s brother, Ajay, was also on the doomed plane; however, they were able to connect shortly after the accident and reported that his condition is improving. The family has been diligently seeking assistance from the British government to aid their travel to India, as they deal with the emotional fallout of this disaster.
As investigations continue into the cause of the crash, authorities have recovered one of the black boxes, which will undoubtedly aid in understanding the events leading up to this tragic accident. In a community filled with grief, memories and tributes to the lives lost are surfacing, highlighting both the tragedy of the event and the resilient spirit of those like Ramesh who challenge the odds of survival.
