In a tragic aviation disaster that occurred on Thursday afternoon, the Air India flight, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad, India, resulting in the death of 241 people onboard. The incident marks one of the worst aviation disasters in India's history and the first crash of the Boeing 787-8 since its introduction into service in 2009.
The sole survivor of this catastrophic event is 40-year-old Viswashkumar Ramesh, a British national of Indian origin who was en route to London. In a gripping account shared with India’s national broadcaster, Ramesh described the chaotic moments leading up to the crash. He explained that the aircraft appeared to become stuck midair just seconds after takeoff. He noted that green and white lights illuminated the cabin, followed by an acceleration that failed to lift the plane to a safe altitude before it ultimately fell.
Ramesh was seated in seat 11A, and he recounted that the side of the plane where he was positioned came crashing down onto the ground floor of a nearby building. After the door broke open, he managed to unfasten his seatbelt and escape the wreckage. "When I opened my eyes, I realized I was alive,” Ramesh recalled, still in shock from the experience.
After sustaining burn injuries on his left hand, he wandered some distance in a daze until locals found him and rushed him to a local government hospital in an ambulance. His condition, while disorienting, was deemed stable, as explained by Dr. Dhaval Gameti, who treated him for multiple injuries.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the crash site on Friday and met Ramesh, inquiring about his health and the events he had witnessed. Ramesh later described his interactions with the Prime Minister from his hospital bed, conveying details of the tragic incident that unfolded around him.
Ramesh, who had a boarding pass with him during his stay at the hospital, revealed the horrific sights at the crash site, including numerous passengers and crew members who perished, along with debris scattered across the area. He was traveling with his brother and managed to reach out to relatives in Leicester following the accident. His cousin, Ajay Valgi, expressed the family's mixed emotions, feeling relieved that Ramesh survived while mourning the loss of another brother.
In an emotional exchange, Ramesh’s brother, Nayan Kumar Ramesh, shared details of a video call Ramesh made to their father immediately after the crash. “He video-called my dad as he crashed and said, 'Oh, the plane's crashed. I don't know where my brother is. I don't see any other passengers. I don't know how I'm alive, how I exited the plane,’” Nayan Kumar recounted to Sky News.
The crash has sent shockwaves through the aviation community and raised concerns about the safety protocols and technologies employed in modern aircraft. As investigations continue, the families of those lost in the disaster are left grappling with their grief and the unanswered questions surrounding the incident.
