A British national has described how he survived the catastrophic crash of an Air India flight that claimed hundreds of lives in western India on Thursday.
Vishwashkumar Ramesh, 40, was the only known survivor of the London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that went down shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad. Speaking from his hospital bed, he recalled the terrifying moments as the aircraft lost control and collided with a nearby building.
“I managed to unbuckle myself, used my leg to push through that opening, and crawled out,” he told India’s DD News. Ramesh, who was seated in 11A, said he escaped through a breach in the fuselage.
The crash resulted in the deaths of all other passengers and crew, according to Air India. Authorities reported that more than 200 bodies have been recovered so far, including 169 Indian nationals and 52 from the UK. It remains unclear how many of the deceased were on board and how many were on the ground.
Describing the moments before impact, Ramesh said the aircraft lights began flickering just seconds after take-off.”The lights started flickering green and white… suddenly slammed into a building and exploded,” he recalled.
The plane struck a residential facility for doctors at the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College and Civil Hospital. However, Ramesh noted that the section of the aircraft where he was seated came down just short of the building.
“When the door broke and I saw there was some space, I tried to get out of there and I did,” he said.”No one could have got out from the opposite side, which was towards the wall, because it crashed there.”
Footage posted online showed Ramesh walking away from the wreckage as smoke rose behind him. Reflecting on the experience, he said:”I saw people dying in front of my eyes – the air hostesses, and two people I saw near me.”For a moment, I felt like I was going to die too, but when I opened my eyes and looked around, I realised I was alive.”I still can’t believe how I survived. I walked out of the rubble.”
Dr Dhaval Gameti, one of the physicians treating Ramesh, said the survivor was “disorientated, with multiple injuries all over his body”, but confirmed his condition had stabilised.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the crash site early Friday and later met with survivors and families of the victims at the hospital.
The UK Foreign Office confirmed it had reached out to Ramesh to offer consular assistance. A Downing Street spokesperson said officials had been in contact with him Friday morning.
Ramesh’s brother, Ajay, was also onboard the ill-fated flight. Their cousin, Hiren Kantilal, said the two siblings had been vacationing in India for several months.
“We want to get out as soon as possible and meet… Vishwashkumar,” Kantilal said, adding that they had spoken to him and he was able to walk and talk “properly”.
He also expressed frustration over the lack of immediate support from the British government to travel to India.
Originally from India, Ramesh moved to the UK in 2003 and now lives in Leicester with his wife and four-year-old son.
Authorities say one of the aircraft’s black boxes has been recovered, which is expected to aid the investigation into what caused the deadly crash.
BBC
