Following Vishwash Kumar Ramesh’s emotional hospital meeting with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, the Mirror hears from body language expert Judi James about some of the more telling moments from the extraordinary interaction
Few people could imagine the thoughts that must be running through the head of Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, the Brit believed to be the sole survivor of the doomed Air India flight 171.
Now, an expert has shed light on the 40-year-old’s incredible gesture during his visit from Indian prime minister Narendra Modi. Footage shows Mr Modi, who has visited the site of the crash, comforting Vishwash in his hospital bed, with the Londoner looking suprisingly alert following his horror ordeal.
In a catastrophe that has sent shockwaves across the world, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft bound for London’s Gatwick Airport crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad Airport in western India on Thursday. The plane, which had been carrying 242 people, hurtled into a college in a residential area, ripping into a dining area where medical students had been eating their lunch.
There, the Dreamliner erupted into a fireball, with plumes of black smoke seen filling the skies above a scene of absolute chaos. Initially, police warned there would likely be no survivors from the plane. But then Vishwash, who had been sitting in ‘miracle’ seat 11A, was found alive.
Commenting on the hospital footage of politician Mr Modi and Vishwash, body language expert Judi James remarked: “The body language of this visit perhaps illustrates the incredible narrative of this man’s survival.
“The initial intention seems to be for Modi to stand near the end of the bed and visit from a polite distance but the survivor appears keen to talk, suggesting that the way Modi moves closer to the head of the bed, moving the drip further down to get closer, is a response aimed at listening and maybe responding intently.”
She continued: “As the man in the bed speaks, even using hand gesticulations to illustrate his story. Modi leans over the bed, placing his hands out in a protective-looking splay to get closer and to listen more intently with a concerned frown.
“There is a comforting and reassuring pat on the arm at one point, but this looks like one man going into intense listening mode as the other, amazingly, looks keen and well enough to relate his own unique story.”
Vishwash, who has lived in London for 20 years, was returning home after visiting family in India when disaster struck. Extraordinary footage shows him walking away from the site of the crash, having reportedly suffered chest, eye and foot injuries on impact.
Telling his story to the Hindustani Times, Vishwash recalled: “Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly.”
Remembering how “there were bodies all around” him, Vishwash shared: “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.”
Vishwash had been travelling with his brother, 45-year-old Ajay Kumar Ramesh, 45, who is believed to have been sitting in a different row of the plane. He sadly died in the crash. When Vishwash was found, the heartbroken sibling pleaded: “He was travelling with me and I can’t find him anymore. Please help me find him.”
This tale of survival has since been confirmed by Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik, who told India media channel ANI: “The police found one survivor in seat 11A. One survivor has been found in the hospital and is under treatment. Cannot say anything about the number of deaths yet. The death toll may increase as the flight crashed in a residential area.”
Air India has stated that 241 of the 242 people onboard the plane died in the crash, with Vishwash being the sole survivor. Indian officials have also confirmed that eight people who weren’t aboard the plane have died on the ground.
Ahmedabad authorities told the BBC that four of the deceased were medical students living in one of the buildings into which the Dreamliner crashed, while another four were relatives of other students who were living in the hostel at that time.
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