A MIRACLE survivor of the Air India disaster has told how he leapt out of the blazing plane when he realised he was alive.
Following a narrow escape from death, 40-year-old Vishwash Ramesh shared his experience of surviving a devastating collision with a doctor’s hostel in Ahmedabad, an incident that resulted in over 265 casualties.
During a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the sole survivor recounted: “Everything unfolded before my eyes, and I still can’t fathom how I survived it all.
“I thought for a second that I was going to die. But when I opened my eyes, I realised I was alive.”
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner with 242 passengers on board – including 53 Brits and 11 children – smashed into a doctors’ hostel in the west of India.
The plane was heading to London Gatwick when it crashed just moments after take-off.
Vishwash was sitting in seat 11A – a spot on the plane’s left side just behind business class and next to the emergency exit.
His brother, who is feared dead, was sitting on the opposite side of the plane in seat 11J.
When asked how he managed to survive the devastating crash, Vishwash said: “I can’t explain.
“Everything happened in [front of] my eyes.”
Vishwash told how he “tried to slip out” when the jet’s door blew out following the crash which sent the plane blazing into a huge fireball.
He said: “When the flight took off, within 5 to 10 seconds it felt like it was stuck in the air.
“Suddenly, the lights started flickering – green and white – then the plane rammed into some establishment that was there.”
He said while the plane was taking off, “it felt like maybe [the pilot] suddenly accelerated”.
But it quickly “went down to a hostel from there at high speed” just moments after becoming airborne
“I saw everything,” he claimed.
The London resident of 20 years said that he wasn’t sitting on the side of the plane which initially smashed into the hostel.
Fortunate Vishwash speculated: “I think the side I was on was not facing the hostel. I don’t know about others.
“I don’t know how I survived. I saw people dying in front of my eyes – the air hostesses, and two people I saw near me…I walked out of the rubble.”
He told of the nightmare moment he escaped the terrifying inferno.
“The door [near me] broke off and I tried to slip out,” he said.
“The opposite side of the plane hit the wall. That’s why others could not get out.”
The Brit said when the plane hit the ground that the “emergency doors [were] broken, my seat was broken”.
“And when I saw the passage a little bit, I tried to come out,” he explained.
Vishwash told how the plane caught fire first before he jumped out and then the plane exploded.
“[There was a] little bit of fire, after that I’m out. Then [the] blast,” he said.
“I just walked out, then ambulance is coming.”
He mentioned being immediately taken to an ambulance and rushed to the hospital once he escaped, expressing gratitude for the doctors and the excellent care he received.
“My treatment is going well, and the people are very supportive.”
After barely escaping the harrowing near-death experience, Vishwash rang home and told his family he had no idea how he survived.
He begged officials to find his brother while in hospital with injuries to his chest and face.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Vishwash on Friday morning following his terrifying ordeal.
A total of 52 British citizens were missing and feared dead on Thursday night after rescue teams recovered more than 265 bodies at the crash site.
His brother Ajaykumar Ramesh, 35, is believed to have been seated in seat 11J – just four seats away from Vishwash.
Ajaykumar is officially missing – but Indian officials have said Vishwash is believed to be the flight’s sole survivor.
Incredible footage shows him walking away from the wreckage almost unscathed.
Flanked by the locals, he can be seen making his way towards an ambulance with blood caking his face.
Speaking in Hindi, he says: “I just got out of the plane, it exploded.”
Vishwash, who still had his boarding pass, told Hindustan Times: “Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly.”
Later, the Londoner described the moment of the disaster from his hospital bed.
He said, “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.”
One relative said Vishwash called home to say he “is fine” but has “no idea” how he escaped the catastrophe alive.
His other brother Nayan Kumar Ramesh, 27, said: “We were just shocked as soon as we heard it. I last spoke to him yesterday morning.
“We’re devastated, just devastated. He [Vishwash] said: ‘I have no idea how I exited the plane.'”
Another relative called Jay said: “After the crash he [Vishwash] spoke to his dad worrying about his brother saying: ‘Where’s Ajay?’
“He’s got some injuries on his face. He was painted in blood. He was pretty much covered in blood, that’s what his dad said.”
He added: “He’s doing well I think. It’s a big shock. I don’t have many words to describe the incident.”
FOUR CRASH THEORIES
WING FLAPS IN WRONG POSITION
VIDEO evidence suggests the flaps were retracted and landing gear down, which would have meant minimal lift and increased drag.
One theory is the landing gear was stuck and pilots retracted the flaps to reduce drag or the flaps were faulty, causing the plane to stall.
A BIRD STRIKE CRIPPLED ENGINES
A BIRD strike could have taken out both of the plane’s General Electric engines.
In 2021, a Dreamliner aborted take-off in Mexico after birds flew into one of its engines. A study in 2018 found Ahmedabad airport had “a high potential of bird-aircraft collision hazards”.
MISTAKE BY ONE OF THE PILOTS
THE 787-8 is highly automated with pilots making key decisions, but human error cannot be ruled out.
There was a mayday from the cockpit. Capt Sumeet Sabharwal, a trained flight instructor, had 8,000 hours’ experience and his co-pilot more than 1,000.
PLANE DIDN’T USE ENOUGH RUNWAY
PLANES get less lift on a hot day due to lower air density, so need to go faster.
Flight AI171 took off in 40C heat in the early afternoon sunshine. It’s suggested the amount of runway used was less than 2,000m when a full plane on a hot day usually needs a run of 2,500m.
The Dreamliner lost contact just seconds after take-off, according to flight tracking website Flightradar.
A final alert was last logged less than a minute after it started the journey from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.
It had only reached 625ft at the time, officials believe.
Seconds before the crash, the Boeing was filmed flying low over the Meghani Nagar residential area with the pilots appearing to be in a desperate bid to keep the plane in the air.
Moments later, it is seen disappearing behind buildings before a huge blast erupts in the distance.
Thick plumes of black smoke can then be seen pouring into the sky.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “The scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating.”
King Charles also said both he and Queen Camilla are “desperately shocked by the terrible events in Ahmedabad this morning”.
The US-built Boeing 787 is one of the world’s most advanced airliners and the accident is the first fatal crash involving the plane.
