Sole survivors: How people live through plane crashes that kill everyone else
Share this @internewscast.com

The world was shocked by the plane crash in India that killed hundreds.

Vishwash Kumar Ramesh was somehow thrown clear when the Air India flight exploded and split in two.

Even more remarkably, Ramesh was able to walk away from the crash with only minor injuries.

It seems like an unthinkable fluke, but Ramesh is not the first person to survive a plane crash through bizarre and surprising circumstances.

Here are some other remarkable plane crash survival stories.

Eighty people were killed in what was then the world’s worst air disaster in 1950.

The plane stalled on landing at Llandow Aerodrome in Wales and broke into pieces on landing.

The Avro Tudor V had been stripped so more seats could be put on board for the trip to watch Wales play Ireland in a rugby international.

Two survivors sitting in the newly installed seats at the tail walked away from the crash unharmed.

The only other survivor was a passenger who was in the toilet as the plane landed. He spent four months in hospital.

The Llandow plane crash was the deadliest in world history up to that point. (South Wales Police)

The chances of surviving a mid-air plane explosion are so small that it is almost beyond comprehension.

Flying over the Amazon rainforest on Christmas Eve, 1971, a Lockheed L-188A flew into a dark cloud and was struck by lightning.

“Suddenly the noise stopped and I was outside the plane. I was in a freefall, strapped to my seat bench and hanging head-over-heels.

“The whispering of the wind was the only noise I could hear.”

Juliane Koepcke was the German teenager who was the sole survivor of the crash of LANSA Flight 508 in the Peruvian rainforest. Kopcke followed a stream for nine days until she found a shelter where a lumberman was able to help her get the rest of the way to civilization. She is shown here with some of her classmates as she returned to classes in Lima. (Bettmann Archive)

The teen blacked out as she was spinning uncontrollably to the ground, so it is not certain how she survived the landing.

However, navigating through over 30 meters of the dense foliage and branches of the Amazon rainforest canopy decelerated her descent sufficiently so that the final impact wasn’t lethal.

The plane bombing survivor

In 1972, a briefcase bomb detonated on a Yugoslavian aircraft, resulting in 23 passengers and four crewmembers being ejected from the debris. The odds of survival seemed nonexistent.

She fell from a distance of ten kilometres up – no one has ever fallen from that high without a parachute and survived.

An explosion in the baggage department split the plane into several pieces, sucking the passengers and other flight crew out of the plane.

Vesna Vulovic became a national hero following her incredible survival story.
Vesna Vulovic became a national hero following her incredible survival story. (Supplied)

But Vulovic was pinned in the fuselage by a food cart, keeping her in place as it fell to the ground.

Her section of the aircraft landed at an angle on a snowy mountainside in then-Czechoslovakia.

The trees and the snow, as well as the angle of the mountain, made for a softer landing.

Bahia Bakari was a 12-year-old returning from a wedding when the Yemen Airways plane she was in crashed into the Indian Ocean in 2009.

Clinging to wreckage in the pitch black, Bakari remembered hearing cries for help from other passengers.

But when help finally arrived 11 hours later, she was the only one still alive.

Bahia Bakari, the sole survivor of Yemenia Flight 626, an Airbus A310 that crashed into the sea off the Indian Ocean archipelago of Comoros, walks out during a break in the trial in Paris, France. (AP) (AP)

Bakari suffered a broken collarbone, a broken hip, burns and other injuries.

But she had no lasting physical injuries.

In December last year, Jeju Air Flight 2216 encountered a crash upon landing after a bird strike. The sole survivors were two flight attendants positioned at the back of the aircraft.

The crash split the fuselage, separating where the attendants were sitting from the remainder of the plane.

But despite the old adage, the rear is not necessarily the safest part of the plane.

The wreckage of a Boeing 737-800 plane operated by South Korean budget airline Jeju Air lies at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
The wreckage of a Boeing 737-800 plane operated by South Korean budget airline Jeju Air. (AP)

“There isn’t any data that shows a correlation of seating to survivability,” says Hassan Shahidi, president of the Flight Safety Foundation said after the crash.

“Every accident is different.”

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

Australian Women’s Cricket Team Targets Historic 40-Year Milestone

Australia’s all-conquering generation of women’s cricketers have one last World Cup feat…
Fans have turned on Keith Urban after it was revealed he has split from his wife of 19 years, Nicole Kidman. The New Zealand-born singer, 57, was inundated with comments on his Instagram, with a slew of admirers begging him to reunite with his 58-year-old actress wife. Recent posts have been utterly swamped with fans sharing their grief over the breakup.

Fans React to Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman’s Split

Fans have turned against Keith Urban following news of his separation from…
Queensland Health in damage control over radiology reports bungle

Queensland Health Scrambles to Manage Radiology Report Errors

Queensland Health authorities are attempting to reach 9000 patients who underwent scans…
TINA TURNER STATUE

This is intended as a ‘homage’ to a legendary musician

A statue standing 3 meters tall, celebrating rock legend Tina Turner, has…
US Law enforcement

Another Detention Center Shooting in Dallas Results in Second Detainee’s Death

“My husband Miguel was a genuine and loving person, a devoted father,…
Governer of the Reserve Bank of Australia Michele Bullock,  speaks at a media conference  on Monetary Policy Decision, Sydney, 30 September 2025.

‘Feeling Uncertain’: RBA Issues Grim Alert to Millions of Australians

Homeowners yearning for further relief on their variable home loans might have…

What’s Happening with Australia’s Move to Become a Republic? Why Albanese Has Shelved the Plan

Australians won’t be voting in a republic referendum as long as Anthony…
US, Israel announce Gaza peace deal, but will Hamas accept it?

US and Israel Reach Gaza Peace Agreement: Will Hamas Agree?

Trump has introduced a 20-point strategy aimed at resolving the Israel-Hamas conflict…
Keith Urban may pocket more than $17 million following his shock separation from Nicole Kidman - all thanks to a jaw-dropping prenuptial clause tied to his sobriety. Both pictured

The Unbelievable ‘Cocaine Clause’ in Prenup: Could Keith Urban Gain Millions After Unexpected Split from Nicole Kidman?

Keith Urban could potentially earn over $17 million after separating from Nicole…
Rescuers search for victims after a building under construction collapsed, at an Islamic boarding school in Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Trisnadi)

Rescue Teams Deliver Oxygen to Survivors of Indonesia’s Collapsed School Building

In a race against time, rescuers supplied oxygen and water to students…
Emma Watson

“JK Rowling Criticizes Harry Potter Star in Harsh Response”

Harry Potter author JK Rowling has penned a long and scathing message…
Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu

Hamas Under Strain: Urged to Consider Trump’s Gaza Peace Proposal

After enduring months of allegations regarding genocide, global isolation, and worldwide demands…