British passenger Vishwash Ramesh, 40, was the only survivor from the Air India plane crash and he was incredibly able to get up and walk away from the aircraft with the other 241 onboard dying
A British passenger who was the only survivor of the Air India plane crash has told of the series of factors that allowed him to escape the “fireball”.
Vishwash Ramesh said “I still can’t believe how I survived” as he spoke from his hospital bed after the Boeing 787 Dreamliner struck a medical college as it crashed in a fireball on Thursday, killing the other 241 people on board. Footage showed flight AI171 to Gatwick take off from Ahmedabad airport and then fail to continue climbing before going down.
Authorities in India have begun handing over the remains of victims after identifying some through DNA testing, following one of the country’s worst air disasters. Most of the victims were severely burned, making identification difficult, while officials say 270 bodies have now been recovered.
And former Qantas pilot David Oliver says that it was “remarkable” that 40-year-old Mr Ramesh survived with only minor injuries. “How it was that he managed to get out and people around him were unable to only compounds the luck that he had to come away almost uninjured,” he told news.com.au.
Mr Ramesh was in seat 11A next to the emergency exit and he was able to push open that door before the plane exploded. “He was very, very lucky to be seated there,” Mr Oliver said. “He was lucky that he just had that fleeting seconds to escape the aircraft before it burst into that fireball.”
Mr Oliver also gave advice on how to improve your chances of surviving a plane crash. “Listen to the safety instructions and always wear your seatbelt, comfortably but firmly tightened,” he said. “You’ve got to wear sensible clothing, bare skin going down an escape slide will give you burns. So just be sensible about what you’re wearing.
“No high-heeled shoes for the ladies. You don’t want to puncture an escape slide if you’re going out. But the important thing, listen to the safety instructions and always wear your seatbelt.”
Mr Ramesh speaking after the crash said: “I can’t believe how I came out of it alive. For a moment, I felt like I was going to die too. But when I opened my eyes and looked around, I realised I was alive. I still can’t believe how I survived.”
Recounting what happened before the incident, Mr Ramesh 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.”
He added: “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.”
Commenting on his survival, Mr Ramesh said: “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.”