RAMESH Viswashkumar, the lone survivor of Thursday’s devastating Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, recounted his harrowing escape from the wreckage.
The 40-year-old British national, who had been visiting family in India before his ill-fated journey to London, was seated near an emergency exit on the ill-fated flight.
His proximity to the exit proved crucial in his survival, allowing him to jump from the aircraft amidst the chaos. The exact timing of his escape remains unclear; it is not definitively known whether he exited before or after the plane impacted the ground.
Speaking from his hospital bed, Viswashkumar described a scene of utter devastation. He recounted being surrounded by bodies upon regaining consciousness, a terrifying experience that fueled his desperate flight from the burning wreckage.
“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,” he told the Hindustan Times. He further described being assisted by a stranger who helped him reach an ambulance and subsequently, the hospital. Viswashkumar’s account highlights the sheer force and destruction of the crash, underscoring the miraculous nature of his survival.
Social media footage circulating widely on Indian news channels appears to corroborate Viswashkumar’s account.
The footage shows a man, matching Viswashkumar’s description – a man in a bloodstained white t-shirt and dark pants, limping and visibly injured – being aided by medical personnel.
The man’s facial bruises and goatee beard align with photographs of Viswashkumar released by local media following the crash, further strengthening the connection between the footage and the sole survivor’s ordeal.
The incident has left the nation in mourning, with the focus now shifting to investigations into the cause of the crash.
