A tragic plane crash on Thursday morning claimed the lives of hundreds, but in a miraculous turn of events, one man walked away from the wreckage. The sole known survivor on the plane has been identified as 40-year-old Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a father from London.
Ramesh was seated in 11A on Air India Flight 171 when the aircraft went down shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, India. The flight, which was bound for London Gatwick, crashed seconds later in the city.
According to authorities, the plane was carrying approximately 242 passengers.
Ramesh, who is currently hospitalised, shared the terrifying moments before the disaster, saying that within 30 seconds into the flight, he said he heard a loud noise and then everything went dark when the plane crashed.
He described what happened when he finally regained consciousness, saying he found himself surrounded by wreckage and dead bodies. Overcome with fear, he stood up and ran from the crash site. He was able to walk away from the crash site with several serious injuries to his chest, eyes, and feet. Viral footage captured the injured man hobbling away from the scene as stunned residents rushed to assist him.
He was later found in a nearby residential area, close to a building that had been hit by the aircraft. The building reportedly housed medical professionals. Ramesh was taken to a local hospital for treatment, where he told his story.
The London resident had been in India visiting family and was returning home to reunite with his wife and child when the crash occurred. While Ramesh survived, the full scale of the tragedy is still unfolding. Officials report that dozens of students residing in the doctors’ hostel were hospitalised. At least five remain missing, and two are in critical condition.
There have also been multiple fatalities on the ground. Reports say some students had to jump from windows in a desperate attempt to escape the flames following the impact.
