Brit who was sole survivor of Air India crash describes what happened from hospital bed
The only survivor of yesterday's tragic Air India crash has shared more details on what happened from his hospital bed.
On the morning of 12 June, a flight took off from Ahmedabad in western India travelling to London Gatwick, but lasted just moments in the air before crashing down in a residential area, killing 241 of the 242 people on board.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the events as 'devastating', while Indian PM Narenda Modi said: "We are all devastated by the air tragedy in Ahmedabad. The loss of so many lives in such a sudden and heartbreaking manner is beyond words. Condolences to all the bereaved families. We understand their pain and also know that the void left behind will be felt for years to come."
Modi travelled to hospital recently to meet with British man Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who miraculously survived the crash in his 11A seat, which was close to the plane's emergency exit.
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And the victim, who walked away from the crash after somehow escaping with cuts and bruises, has now shared more details on what happened from his perspective.
Speaking to Indian broadcaster Doordarshan, Mr Ramesh said: "Everything happened in front of my eyes, I still can’t believe myself how I came out alive. For a little while, I thought I was also going to die. But when I opened my eyes, I realised I was alive.
"So I tried to escape. I pulled out the belt from under my seat and tried to escape. Then I managed to do it. I saw others and the air hostess in front of me who couldn’t escape."
He claimed that the emergency door on the plane came off when the plane crash-landed. The 40-year-old Brit also suggested that the plane felt like it had 'got stuck' as pilots tried to up the speed before heading straight into a building.
Mr Ramesh added: "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. Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital."
He also told DD News that the plane felt like it had been 'stuck in the air' a few seconds after taking off.
He said: "When the flight took off, within five to 10 seconds it felt like it was stuck in the air. Suddenly, the lights started flickering – green and white.
"The aircraft wasn’t gaining altitude and was just gliding before it suddenly slammed into a building and exploded. At first, I thought I was dead. Later, I realised I was still alive and saw an opening in the fuselage.
"I managed to unbuckle myself, used my leg to push through that opening, and crawled out. I don’t know how I survived. I saw people dying in front of my eyes – the air hostesses, and two people I saw near me... I walked out of the rubble."
Tragically, his brother was also on the flight and is now presumed dead, but there is a least some solace for the family that he was able to survive with just a burned arm from the fiery crash.
It has been revealed that he called his family just moments after the tragedy, with his younger brother Nayan saying: "I last spoke to him yesterday morning. We’re devastated, just devastated.
"He said I have no idea how I exited the plane. He video called my dad as he crashed and said ‘Oh, the plane’s crashed. I don’t know where my brother is. I don’t see any other passengers. I don’t know how I’m alive, how I exited the plane.'"
Meanwhile, a man who was on the same plane hours before it crashed has shared a 'haunting' video in which he claims that nothing on the flight was working.
Topics: Air India
James Moorhouse