“I Still Can’t Believe I Survived”: British Man Escapes Air India Crash Killing 200+

India: In the Ahmadabad aircraft crash, only 1 person was saved out of 200. The survivor does not believe that he is still alive. 

A miracle amid tragedy:

Vishwashkumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British businessman, survived a recent Ahmedabad air crash incident. He told an Indian broadcaster, “I still can’t believe how I survived. I walked out of the rubble.”

The Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, operating flight AI171 to London, went down shortly after takeoff. It slammed into a building used as accommodation for doctors at Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College and Civil Hospital.

Mr. Ramesh had been seated in 11A when, seconds after takeoff, the aircraft began to fail. He recalled strange flickering lights and the feeling that the plane was “stuck in the air.” He said, “The lights started flickering green and white, and suddenly slammed into a building and exploded.”

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He somehow managed to unbuckle his seatbelt and push through an opening in the fuselage with his leg. He said, “I managed to unbuckle myself, used my leg to push through that opening, and crawled out.”

He added that the section he was in landed near the ground and didn’t hit the building directly, unlike the opposite side of the aircraft, which collided with the wall and exploded. He said, “No one could have got out from the opposite side because it crashed there.”

The Moments after impact:

A video circulating online shows him, bloodied and dazed, walking toward an ambulance with thick black smoke behind him. 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.”

Family ties and lingering pain:

Ramesh was travelling with his brother, Ajay. After the incident, Ramesh was concerned about his brother. His other brother is also concerned about Ajay’s safety. Ramesh told BBC News, “When he [Vishwashkumar] called us, he was just more worried about [Ajay]; that’s all he cares about at the moment.” 

Medical update:

Ramesh was taken to a local hospital, where he was treated for multiple injuries. His attending physician, Dr. Dhaval Gameti, confirmed that although Ramesh was disoriented and wounded, he was now out of danger. Dr. Gameti said, “He was disorientated, with multiple injuries all over his body, but appears to be out of danger.”

Modi visits crash sites:

The tragedy has triggered nationwide mourning and international condolences. On Friday morning, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the crash site. He later visited the hospital to meet with injured survivors and to offer condolences to the families of the deceased.