More than 260 people were killed after the London-bound Air India flight A171 crashed into a residential area of Ahmedabad, India, on Thursday. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed just minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad – but there was one survivor.
Wishmash Kumar Ramesh was the sole survivor, and now he has spoken out about the crash for the first time, revealing what seat he was in.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was heading for Gatwick from Ahmedabad, India, when it, on Thursday, shortly after takeoff, suddenly lost height and crashed into a residential area. The plane carried 242 people, and more than 260 people in total have been confirmed killed as the plane crashed.
Footage showed how the aircraft climbed away from the runway before sinking back down and disappearing behind trees, bursting into flames. According to The Guardian, the plane “crashed into a hostel housing medical students, doctors and their families,” and at least 24 people on the ground died.
Reuters reported that the passengers included 217 adults, 11 children, and two infants, according to Reuters. One hundred sixty-nine were Indian nationals, 53 were Britons, seven were Portuguese, and one was Canadian. Moreover, the crew consisted of two pilots and 10 cabin crew members.
Air India Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran told CNBC-TV18 from Ahmedabad that the airline is actively coordinating with Boeing and GE Aerospace to ensure full support. They have a team of experts on the ground assisting with the investigation.
“I’ve also asked them to send their best experts to work with us in this process. They are very supportive,” he said.
Air India plane crash
Air India has announced they will give compensation to each family of those who lost their lives, as well as cover “all medical expenses for the injured and help rebuild the infrastructure at the hostel where the crash occurred.”
“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of all those affected by this devastating event. At this moment, our primary focus is on supporting all the affected people and their families,” Chandrasekaran said in a statement. “We are doing everything in our power to assist the emergency response teams at the site and to provide all necessary support and care to those impacted.”
India’s home minister Amit Shah stated that ‘the heat caused by burning jet fuel meant there was little chance for anyone to be able to escape on impact.
“There was 125,000 litres of fuel inside the plane and it caught heat so it was impossible to save anyone,” he said, adding that the final death toll will be determined after DNA testing on the victims was completed.
As of now, the cause of the crash is still unknown. The search team has found one of the two black boxes.
Speaking with Agence France-Presse, resident Poonam Patni said, ‘”When we reached the spot there were several bodies lying around and firefigh’ters were dousing the flames. Many of the bodies were burned.”
Another witness added, “We saw people from the building jumping from the second and third floor to save themselves. The plane was in flames. We helped people get out of the building and sent the injured to the hospital.”
Miracle sole survivor
The plane crash in Ahmedabad is one of the worst in decades. Still, while the tragedy is immense, it also produces a somewhat miraculous outcome. Vishwashkumar Ramesh was one of the passengers and survived. Speaking with the BBC, Ramesh’s brother, Nayan Kumar, said he had “no idea” how his brother survived.
“It feels great seeing him [Vishwashkumar] doing well,” Nayan said, adding that they worried about his other brother, Ajay, who was also on board.
“We were all in shock as soon as we heard what happened, just utter shock. Speechless,” Nayan continued. “He [Vishwashkumar] himself has no idea how he survived, how he got out the plane. When he called us he was just more worried about my other brother, like ‘Find Ajay, find Ajay.’ That’s all he cares about at the moment.”
Another relative told PA News Agency that Wishwashkumar had “some injuries on his face,” and that he was “painted in blood,” but “doing well.”
Videos on social media showed how Vishwashkumar walked towards an ambulance with smoke in the background. He later met Indian Interior Minister Amit Shah at the hospital while lying in Ned. Dr Dhaval Gameti, who treated the sole survivor, said, “He was disorientated, with multiple injuries all over his body. But he seems to be out of danger.”
Survivor Vishwashkumar Ramesh sat in seat 11A
Vishwashkumar Ramesh, a businessman, was born in India but has lived in the UK since 2003, according to the BBC. He has a wife and a four-year-old son. Speaking with the Hindustan Times, the sole survivor from the tragic Air India plane crash described how he walked out from the plane, seeing bodies all around him. He sat in the seat 11A.
“Thirty seconds after takeoff, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly,” Vishwaskumar, who still had his boarding pass, said, adding that he had “impact injuries,” including bruises on his feet, eyes, and chest.
“When I got up, there were bodies all around me. 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.”
All our thoughs and prayers goes out to the vicims and their families.
