Air India passenger has miraculous escape, ‘runs’ to safety after crash

A 40-year-old passenger of the ill-fated Air India flight that crashed in Ahmedabad on Thursday (June 12) had a miraculous escape.

Viswash Kumar Ramesh, admitted to a general ward of the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, still holds on to his boarding pass to show. Incredibly, he “ran” from the site to safety, before rescuers found him and put him in an ambulance, he has told the media.

Unfortunately, his brother, Ajay Kumar Ramesh, 45, who was seated in a different row on the plane, may have been killed with the rest of the passengers.

Also read: Ahmedabad crash: Kerala nurse returning to London after home visit among fliers

“Loud noise” before crash

According to what Viswash told the Hindustan Times, he heard a “loud noise” 30 seconds after take-off, and then the plane crashed very quickly. Viswash reportedly has “impact injuries” on his chest, eyes and feet.

Viswash is a British national and has been living in London for 20 years. His wife and child are in London. He and Ajay were reportedly in India to visit their family in Diu for a few days and were on their way back to the UK.

Viswash reportedly said he could not find Ajay and sought help to locate his brother. He said when he stood up at the crash site, there were bodies and pieces of the plane all around him. Terrified, he just ran until someone put him in an ambulance and brought him to hospital.

Also read: IN PHOTOS I Ahmedabad crash: Rescuers sift through debris to find survivors

Police confirm finding survivor

Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik confirmed to news agency ANI about the survivor. “The police found one survivor in seat 11A. One survivor has been found in the hospital and is under treatment.”

The Air India flight AI 171 — a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner — with 242 people on board, including crew members, took off at 1.39 pm on Thursday and crashed within five minutes, bursting into flames.