In an astonishing turn of events, a British father, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, incredibly survived the Air India plane crash that was initially thought to have killed everyone on board. Footage showed him walking away from the wreckage with injuries to his chest, eyes, and feet.
Speaking from his hospital bed, Mr. Ramesh, who was in seat 11A, recounted the terrifying moments after the Gatwick-bound Flight 171 crashed shortly after takeoff. He described a loud noise followed by the sudden impact. When he came to, he was surrounded by bodies, panicked, and ran from the scene amidst plane debris. Someone helped him into an ambulance, bringing him to the hospital.
Mr. Ramesh, a London resident with a family, was flying home from visiting relatives in India when the Boeing 787 Dreamliner went down, hitting buildings in Ahmedabad, specifically those housing doctors. Another survivor was found in one of the affected hospitals on the ground.
Authorities had initially believed there were no survivors among the 242 passengers, which included 53 Britons, 159 Indian nationals, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian. Among those on board were eleven children, including two newborns. Rescue teams, aided by the military, have so far recovered 204 bodies from the crash site, including those from the plane and the surrounding area. Aviation experts suggest the plane may have lost power suddenly during the critical takeoff phase.
