The sole survivor among the 242 people aboard a London-bound Air India jet that crashed in Ahmedabad said Friday he still can’t explain how he escaped the fiery explosion alive.
"Everything happened right before my eyes, and even I can't believe how I made it out," said British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh from his hospital bed in an interview with state broadcaster DD News, speaking in Hindi.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, heavy with fuel for the long-haul flight, erupted into a massive fireball just minutes after takeoff Thursday afternoon.
Ramesh – who was in seat 11A, according to media reports – was the only person aboard who survived. Authorities said at least 24 others were killed on the ground.
His brother was also on the flight, Ramesh’s family in Britain told reporters.
“Within a minute after takeoff, suddenly ... it felt like something got stuck ... I realized something had happened, and then suddenly the plane’s green and white lights turned on,” Ramesh said.
“After that, the plane seemed to speed up, heading straight toward what turned out to be a hospital hostel. Everything was visible right in front of my eyes when the crash happened.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Ramesh on Friday at the hospital where he is being treated for burns and other injuries, according to video footage shared on Modi’s official YouTube channel.
Ramesh, 40, is from the British city of Leicester, according to Britain’s Press Association, which spoke with his family.
The plane smashed into buildings just outside the perimeter of the airport.
“Initially, I too thought that I was about to die, but then I opened my eyes and realized that I was still alive,” he said.
“I saw the air hostess and aunties and uncles all in front of me,” he said, his voice trailing off emotionally, using a term of respect in India for older people.
“I unfastened my seatbelt and tried to escape – and I did,” he said.
“I think the side I was on was not facing the hostel,” he added. “Where I landed was closer to the ground and there was space too – and when my door broke, I saw that there was space, and I thought I could try to slip out.”
Videos shared on social media showed Ramesh shortly afterward, dressed in a bloodied T-shirt and limping but walking toward an ambulance.
“My left hand got slightly burned due to the fire, but an ambulance brought me to the hospital,” he said. “The people here are taking good care of me.”
Air India said there were 169 Indian passengers, 53 British, seven Portuguese and one Canadian on board the flight bound for London’s Gatwick Airport, as well as 12 crew members.
The death toll currently stands at 265, police said.
Authorities have set up DNA testing for the relatives of passengers and victims on the ground to identify the scorched remains.
