‘I don’t know how I survived’ — sole survivor of fatal Air India crash recounts escape

Viswashkumar Ramesh—the sole survivor of the fatal Air India crash—has recounted what he thought were his final moments on earth.

The plane was en route to London’s Gatwick Airport in the United Kingdom (UK) before it nosedived into a hostel that housed medical students shortly after take-off.

Air India confirmed that 241 out of the 242 people on board died, but authorities have yet to speak on how many people were affected on the ground.

Ramesh, 40, managed to walk away from the wreckage with burns and scratches. He was seated in 11A, beside the emergency exit.

The British national told DD India that he did not know how he survived the crash.

“Everything happened in front of my eyes. I don’t know how I survived. For some time, I thought I was also going to die.  But when I opened my eyes, I realised that I was alive. And I tried to unbuckle myself from the seat and escaped from where I could,” he said from his hospital bed.

“I could see there was space outside the aircraft, so when my door broke, I tried to escape through a little space, and I did.”

The survivor noted that the other side of the plane was backed against the hostel’s wall, leaving no room for other passengers to escape.

“It was in front of my eyes that the air hostess and others died,” he said.

Speaking on the crash, Ramesh said a minute after take-off, “it felt like the plane came to a standstill for five to 10 seconds,” prompting green and white lights to flash.

“I could feel the engine thrust increase to go up, but it crashed with speed into the building,” he continued.

“The side of the plane I was in landed on the ground floor of the hostel. I don’t know about other parts of the plane, but where I landed was on the ground.

“I could see that there was space outside the aircraft. So, when my door broke, I tried to escape through a little space, and I did.

“On the opposite side of the plane was the building wall, so nobody could have escaped.”

Ramesh was travelling with Ajay, his brother, who was seated in a different row on the plane.

Air India has said the investigation will take time.

The UK officials have been deployed to India to support the investigation into the plane crash.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited the crash site earlier, and the devastating loss stunned the nation.

He met Ramesh in hospital on Friday.