'It Went Full Speed And Crashed': Air India Plane Crash Lone Survivor Recounts Horror
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British-Indian national who is the only survivor of the Air India plane crash that took place in Ahmedabad on June 12, shared details about how the ill-fated plane went down.
In an interview with Doordarshan, Kumar, who was in seat 11A, next to the emergency exit, expressed disbelief at his stroke of luck. “I don't know how I came out of it alive,” he said.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was flying from Ahmedabad to London's Gatwick airport when it crashed into a building in the Meghaninagar area shortly after take-off. One of the worst air disasters in recent memory, the crash claimed 241 lives.
According to Kumar, just moments after take-off, the aircraft began to behave abnormally.
“A minute after the take-off, it felt like the plane had got stuck. Then green and white lights came on. They (the pilots) tried to lift the plane, but it went full speed and crashed into the building,” he told Doordarshan.
He recalled the terrifying aftermath, saying he initially believed he wouldn't survive. Upon regaining consciousness, he realised he was still alive. “I opened my seat belt and got out of there, he said, adding that several passengers, including the crew and others nearby, “died before my eyes".
On Friday, PM Modi met Vishwas Kumar Ramesh, the lone survivor of the plane crash in which at least 241 people lost their lives on Thursday.
The impact tore off the emergency door next to his seat, which possibly allowed him a way out. “I was closer to the ground, where there was space. So I came out from there. The building wall was on the opposite side and I do not think anyone was able to come out that way,” he told Doordarshan when asked if he had landed on the building's rooftop.
Kumar sustained burns on his arm from the fire that engulfed the wreckage.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the crash site on the morning of June 13. He was accompanied by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. According to officials, the Prime Minister reached Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Airport and travelled directly to Meghaninagar, the site of the crash.
PM Modi also met Ramesh at the hospital in Ahmedabad.
As per a Hindustan Times report, Ramesh was visiting relatives in India and was on his way back to the UK with his older brother, Ajay Kumar Ramesh. Vishwash's brother was seated elsewhere on the aircraft.
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