The remarkable survival story of Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, the only survivor of the Air India crash, has been illustrated through a simulation. This incident involved a plane that encountered issues moments after taking off from Ahmedabad on June 12, leading to a tragic crash.
The 40-year-old British national managed to escape the aircraft’s burning wreckage, while all 241 other passengers and crew sadly perished in the disaster. This video footage provides insight into how Ramesh survived this catastrophic event.
The ill-fated AI171 jet was en route to London when it crashed into a building at the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College and Civil Hospital, leading to additional fatalities on the ground. As a result, the death toll has climbed to 270.
Authorities are currently working to determine the cause of the Boeing 787-8 crash, while experts are analyzing how Ramesh managed to survive. A YouTube simulation by AiTelly presents two possible scenarios for his escape.
The first scenario suggests that Ramesh may have jumped from the plane while it was descending, using the emergency exit. The second scenario posits that he might have exited through the same door after the crash, just before the wreck caught fire. Considering Ramesh’s account, the second scenario seems more plausible.
Ramesh recounted that he was seated in 11a and managed to escape before the plane burst into flames upon impact with the residential area. From his hospital bed, he described how he ‘unbuckled’ himself and used his leg to push the door open.
“When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran,” he recounted to local news outlets, according to Reuters. “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.”
Video footage from the scene shows a passerby helping the blood-covered, limping Ramesh reach emergency services.
Ramesh was returning to the UK with his family and brother Ajay, who unfortunately did not survive the crash. His brother was seated on the same row but in a different seat.
Speaking to Indian state media DD News, Ramesh explained that his section of the jet was close to the ground and had not collided with the building. In contrast, the opposite side was against a wall, hindering escape. Despite the emergency door being damaged, Ramesh said he ‘just walked out’ from the crash site.
Though some might expect Ramesh to provide crucial insights into the incident, he confessed that he ‘can’t explain’ everything but recalled a ‘loud noise’ and ‘flickering lights’ in the aircraft moments after takeoff.
“I saw people dying in front of my eyes – the air hostesses, and two people I saw near me,” he stated. “For a moment, I felt like I was going to die too, but when I opened my eyes and looked around, I realized I was alive.
“I still can’t believe how I survived. I walked out of the rubble.”