Ahmedabad, India –A British national is being hailed as the sole survivor of yesterday’s horrific Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, which claimed the lives of 241 passengers and crew, as well as at least eight people on the ground. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, from London, has shared a stunning account of the disaster, describing how he was ejected from the aircraft before it erupted into a massive fireball.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, Air India flight AI171, bound for London Gatwick, crashed moments after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 13:39 local time on Thursday. The plane plummeted into a residential area, specifically hitting a doctors’ hostel at the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College and Civil Hospital in Meghani Nagar, causing widespread devastation.
Speaking from his hospital bed in Ahmedabad, a disoriented but stable Mr. Ramesh told doctors and Indian broadcaster Doordarshan of the terrifying moments leading up to the crash. “I don’t know how I came out of it alive. For a while, I thought I was about to die. But when I opened my eyes, I saw I was alive.
And I opened my seatbelt and got out of there,” he recounted.Mr. Ramesh, who was seated in seat 11A, strategically positioned next to an emergency exit, described how, immediately after takeoff, the plane began to descend and suddenly split in two.
He believes this rupture ejected him from the wreckage before a deafening explosion. He tragically witnessed two cabin crew members perish before his eyes.
Footage from near the crash site shows Mr. Ramesh, with visible injuries, walking away from the smoldering jet before being rushed to hospital for treatment. Dr. Dhaval Gameti, who examined him, confirmed Mr. Ramesh suffered multiple injuries but appears to be out of danger.
Recalling the desperate final seconds, Mr. Ramesh said, “The pilot was trying to give it a bit of a push to push it forward, but it was struggling… it went full speed and crashed into the building.” He described hearing “a loud noise” before the plane impacted.”
When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran. There were pieces of the plane all around me,” he said. “Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital.”
Tragically, Mr. Ramesh’s brother was also on the ill-fated flight and is presumed to be among the deceased. The crash has been described as India’s deadliest aviation disaster in over three decades.
Investigations are now underway to determine the cause of the catastrophic failure, with the black box reportedly recovered from the site. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the crash site and met with Mr. Ramesh at the hospital today, expressing his condolences.
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