Father-of-one Viswash Kumar Ramesh stunned rescuers as he limped away from burning wreckage after plane crashed into medical college just 30 seconds after takeoff
ASTONISHING footage has emerged showing the sole survivor of the deadly Air India crash walking away from the inferno that claimed 241 lives in one of the worst aviation disasters this century.
British national Viswash Kumar Ramesh, 40, was captured on video limping through the streets in a blood-soaked white t-shirt, as thick black smoke towered behind him from the catastrophic crash that killed everyone else aboard Flight AI171.
The father, who had been in India visiting family for nearly a year, stunned onlookers as he wandered dazed through the chaos while locals screamed for emergency services around him.
‘They’re all inside’
In shocking footage verified by news outlets, the British survivor was seen being helped by a medic as crowds gathered around him in disbelief.
When frantic locals asked where the other passengers were, Ramesh simply replied: “They’re all inside.”
One man in a turquoise turban ran over to the dazed survivor and cried out in Gujarati: “Plane fatyo che” (the plane exploded).
The London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner had crashed into a medical college hostel in Ahmedabad’s densely populated Meghaninagar area just 30 seconds after takeoff on Thursday, June 12.
Brother among the dead
Ramesh was returning to London where his wife and young son live, accompanied by his brother Ajay Kumar Ramesh, who was seated in a different row and is among the 241 victims.
“We visited Diu. He was traveling with me and I can’t find him anymore. Please help me find him,” a distraught Ramesh told reporters from his hospital bed.
The tragedy has devastated the family, with another brother in the UK, Nayan Kumar Ramesh, revealing: “When he called us he was just more worried about my other brother, like ‘Find Ajay, find Ajay.’ That’s all he cares about at the moment.
Miraculous escape from seat 11A
Ramesh’s survival has been dubbed the “miracle of seat 11A” – he was seated in the emergency exit row when disaster struck.
Speaking from his hospital bed with a heavily bandaged arm and a bloodied cut under his eye, he described his extraordinary escape.
“Everything happened in front of my eyes. I don’t believe how I survived,” Ramesh said. “For some time I thought I was also going to die. But when I opened my eyes, I realized I was alive.
He explained that his side of the plane crashed into the ground floor of the hostel, and the emergency door was broken by the impact.
When my door broke, I saw there was a bit of space. So I tried to get out and I was able to get out,” he said, adding: “I just walked out.”
270 bodies recovered
The scale of the disaster continues to unfold, with doctors confirming yesterday that 270 bodies have been recovered so far – including victims from the densely populated area where the plane crashed.
The aircraft slammed into the dining facility of B.J. Medical College just as students were sitting down to lunch, killing at least five medical students and injuring nearly 50 others.
Footage of the aftermath shows plates and cups still filled with food on tables, now covered in debris.
‘Plane came to standstill’
Ramesh described the terrifying moments before impact, saying that within a minute after takeoff, “it felt like the plane came to a standstill for 5-10 seconds.”
I could feel engine thrust increasing to go up but it crashed with speed into the building,” he told Reuters.
The pilots had managed to issue a mayday call reporting loss of power and thrust, with CCTV footage showing the aircraft airborne for just 30 seconds before plummeting to earth.
PM visits survivor
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Ramesh in hospital on Friday, as the survivor received treatment for burns to his left hand and multiple injuries across his body.
Dr. Dhaval Gameti at Ahmedabad’s Civil Hospital said that while Ramesh “was disoriented with multiple injuries all over his body... he seems to be out of danger.”
Expert’s astonishment
Aviation experts have expressed amazement at Ramesh’s survival, particularly given his seat location.
CNN safety analyst David Soucie, a former FAA safety inspector, said: “That seat is right where the spar of the wing would go under and it would be a solid place for the aircraft to hit the ground, but as far as survivability above it, that is incredibly surprising.
Graham Braithwaite, director of aerospace and aviation at Britain’s Cranfield University, called the survival “extraordinary,” adding: “When there’s a single survivor like this, there is nothing you can do to be that person. It had to be a small amount of luck.”
International tragedy
The flight was carrying 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian when it crashed, making it the deadliest aviation disaster in a decade.
Among the victims was Vijay Rupani, former Chief Minister of Gujarat, highlighting the scale of the tragedy that has shocked both India and Britain.
As investigations continue with both black boxes recovered from the wreckage, Ramesh remains in hospital – the sole witness to a catastrophe that has left families across multiple nations grieving.
His simple words to broadcaster Doordarshan summed up the inexplicable nature of his survival: “It’s miracle, everything.”
