A British-Indian citizen, Vishuash Kumar Ramesh, has miraculously survived the crash of an Air India plane shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport in India. He is reported to be the sole survivor of a tragedy that claimed the lives of at least 241 people, with the bodies of 204 of them recovered so far.
According to NDTV, Ramesh has lived in London for two decades and was on board with his brother Ajay, who was sitting in another row. In an interview with the Hindustan Times, Ramesh recalled the terrifying moments: “I heard a loud noise about 30 seconds after we took off. Then everything happened very quickly.” He suffered injuries to his chest, eyes and legs, but managed to climb out of the wreckage and escape, while there were lifeless bodies and pieces of the plane all around him.
At the Ramesh family home in Leicester, England, there was an atmosphere of mourning and shock. “He was just in shock,” said Viswash’s other brother, Nayan Ramesh, who said his brother had managed to make a video call to his father shortly after the crash. “Our plane crashed… I have no idea how I got out,” Viswash said in the dramatic call.
Authorities report that the plane had reached an altitude of about 825 meters before it began its sudden descent. The pilot had issued an emergency signal before the crash, but the plane was unable to recover and crashed in a residential area near the airport.
Dramatic footage shows the moment the aircraft crashes and a huge explosion occurs above nearby buildings.