The sole survivor of the Air India crash has revealed how he “just walked out” of an opening in the plane's fuselage short before it exploded.
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, said he thought he was dead after the Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed into a medical college in Ahmedabad, India, on Thursday, June 12.
The tragedy claimed the lives of 241 people on board the aircraft. Mr Ramesh said he opened his eyes and witnessed the horror of people dying in front of him.
In an interview with broadcaster DD News from his hospital bed, Ramesh described how the plane seemed “stuck in the air” after takeoff. Lights began flashing green and white before it “suddenly slammed into a building and exploded”.
Ramesh said: “I can’t believe how I came out of it alive. For a moment, I felt like I was going to die too but when I opened my eyes and looked around, I realised I was alive. I still can’t believe how I survived.
"When the flight took off, within five to 10 seconds it felt like it was stuck in the air. Suddenly, the lights started flickering – green and white.
“The aircraft wasn’t gaining altitude and was just gliding before it suddenly slammed into a building and exploded. At first, I thought I was dead. Later, I realised I was still alive and saw an opening in the fuselage.
“I managed to unbuckle myself, used my leg to push through that opening, and crawled out. I don’t know how I survived.
“I saw people dying in front of my eyes – the air hostesses, and two people I saw near me... I walked out of the rubble.”
Ramesh has been a UK citizen for 20 years, and was returning home after visiting relatives in India. Outside the family home in Leicester, one of Ramesh's brothers said he had “no idea” how he escaped.
Nayan Kumar Ramesh, 27, added: “We were just shocked as soon as we heard it. I last spoke to him yesterday morning. We’re devastated, just devastated. He said: ‘I have no idea how I exited the plane.’”
Yesterday, India’s Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu posted on X that the black box of the crashed Air India plane has been found.
He wrote: “The flight data recorder (black box) has been recovered within 28 hours from the accident site in Ahmedabad by AAIB (India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau).
“This marks an important step forward in the investigation. This will significantly aid the inquiry into the incident.”
A committee formed to investigate the root cause of the Air India crash will report within three months, the Indian government’s ministry of civil aviation has said.
The committee will have access to flight data, cockpit voice recordings and maintenance records.
“A high level multi-disciplinary committee is constituted for examining the causes leading to the crash,” a statement said.
“The Committee will examine the existing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and guidelines issued to prevent and handle such occurrences and suggest comprehensive guidelines for dealing with such instances in the future.
“The Committee will not be a substitute to other enquiries being conducted by relevant organisations but will focus on formulating SOPs for preventing and handling such occurrences in the future.”
