Miracle survivor Vishwash Ramesh, 40, emerged from the fireball crash with his phone in his hand – and a wall of choking black smoke behind him after the plane crashed moments into the journey
Staggering footage has captured the exact moment miracle survivor Vishwash Ramesh walked away from the flaming wreckage of the Air India disaster.
As fire ripped through the student hostel, where a further 38 people on the ground were killed, the 40-year-old Brit father emerged from the chaos, phone still in hand with a wall of flame and choking black smoke behind him. Locals, scrambling and screaming for emergency services, spotted him stumbling out of the compound. One man rushed over and pulled him to safety as the dazed survivor muttered: “Plane fatyo che (the plane exploded),” the Sun reports.
Vishwash told local news that he saw the aircraft crew and passengers die around him but managed to flee when the plane suddenly split in two and threw him out with only minor injuries.
The dad, who was in seat 11A on the Boeing 787 flight, later said “has no idea how he survived” one of India’s deadliest aviation disasters. Tragically, his brother Ajaykumar, 35, just five seats away, didn’t make it.
Satinder Singh Sandhu, the first paramedic to reach the scene – part of a massive 35-ambulance response – described the chaos. “The first person we spotted was the hostel guard with serious burns. Then, out of nowhere, this man walked out near the building. We were yelling at him because he was disoriented and tried to head back into the fire,” Sandhu said.
“We later learned his brother was on board. He was trying to go back for him. But we stopped him and got him to Civil Hospital. Honestly, his survival is unbelievable.”
The doomed flight had taken off from Ahmedabad Airport in Gujarat, India, on Thrusday afternoon and was bound for London Gatwick. It crashed moments after takeoff, killing hundreds of passengers – including 169 Indian nationals, 52 Brits, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian.
Among the Brits killed were wellness influencers Fiongal and husband Jamie Greenlaw-Meek, who co-founded the Wellness Foundry and made appearances on ITV’s This Morning to showcase the brand. The couple had travelled to India on holiday and posted a short video from Ahmedabad airport reflecting on their trip – moments before boarding the doomed jet.
Businessman Akeel Nanawaba, 36, his partner Hanna Vorajee, 30, and their four-year-old daughter, Sarah were on board the flight returning home from a five-day family celebration in India. Another British family travelling on the flight bound for London award-winning hotel manager Javed Ali Syed, his wife Mariam, and their children Amani, four, and Zayn.
Raxa Modha, 55, her two-year-old grandson Rudra, and daughter-in-law Yasha Kamdar were believed to have been flying back to England for a memorial service for Ms Modha’s late husband when the crash claimed their lives.