Man who also survived plane crash sat in seat 11a had 'goosebumps' when he heard about Air India coincidence

A man who previously survived a plane crash had ‘goosebumps’ when he heard about a coincidence with the recent tragedy.

Yesterday (12 June), all but one of the 242 people on board Air India Flight AI171 died when the plane crashed shortly after take-off in Ahmedabad, western India.

Bound for London Gatwick, emergency responders rushed to the scene, with signal lost from the aircraft just seconds after it left the airport. There was initially said to be ‘no survivors’ before it came to light that one of the many Brits on board had miraculously escaped.

Vishwash Kumar Ramesh still ‘can’t believe’ how he managed to come out alive, suffering ‘impact injuries’ as he spoke to press from hospital.

The British national was sat in seat 11A on the flight, the same seat number Ruangsak Loychusak was seated in when Thai Airways flight TG261 crashed in 1998.

The Brit was also seated in 11A (Viral Press)

Flying from Bangkok to Surat Thani, the flight stalled and plunged into a swamp, killing 101 people onboard. Loychusak was one of 45 survivors, and says he has lived a ‘second life’ since the crash.

Speaking following yesterday’s tragedy, the Thai singer said he had ‘goosebumps’ when he found out about Ramesh.

“The lone survivor of the plane crash in India was sitting in the same seat number as me, 11A,” Loychusak said. “I want to offer my condolences to all those who lost loved ones in the tragedy.”

He no longer has his ticket from the flight, but said reports from the time had recorded his seat number. Loychusak said he struggled with flying ‘for 10 years after the crash’.

“I would struggle to breathe, even though the air circulation was normal,” he explained. "I avoided speaking to anyone and always stared outside the window, blocking anyone from closing it to maintain my sense of safety.”

Loychusak was one of 45 survivors (ViralPress)

The man continued: “If I saw dark clouds or a rainstorm outside, I would feel terrible, like I was in hell.

"I can still remember the sounds, smells, and even the taste of the water in the swamp the plane crashed into. For a long time, I would keep the feelings to myself."

Having been filmed walking away from the wreck yesterday, Ramesh said for a little while he thought he ‘was also going to die’.

"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,” he told Indian broadcaster Doordarshan.

He said he struggled with flying for 10 years after the crash (ViralPress)

“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."

With seat 11A typically located by the emergency exit, Ramesh claimed the emergency door came off when the plane crash landed.

“When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran,” he added.

"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."