amily and friends of those lost in the tragic Air India plane crash are beginning to hold ceremonies and funeral services for their loved ones.
Meanwhile, the one person who survived, 40-year-old Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, is speaking to the media about the harrowing ordeal, after newly released footage shows him walking away from the fiery scene. Highlights
- The only person to survive the Air India plane crash is 40-year-old Vishwash Kumar Ramesh
- Speaking from his hospital bed, he described what happened in the moments after impact
- Investigations continue into the cause of the crash, as well as into identifying the hundreds of victims
In an interview from his bed while still in the hospital, Ramesh tells the Indian State broadcaster, Doordarshan TV, that he simply walked away from the crash site.
“I saw an opening, so I got out”: Vishwash Kumar Ramesh talks to media about what happened
The images are harrowing. A plane plummeting to the earth, plumes of smoke, and then an explosion.
In what many are describing as a miracle, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh is the lone survivor from the crash. Recently, he told his story to Indian state media, DD TV, in a few different interviews from his hospital bedside.
Ramesh described how, after the initial impact, he wasn’t sure that he was alive. He was seated in an emergency row, and opened his eyes to see destruction all around him inside the plane. The images are harrowing. A plane plummeting to the earth, plumes of smoke, and then an explosion.
In what many are describing as a miracle, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh is the lone survivor from the crash. Recently, he told his story to Indian state media, DD TV, in a few different interviews from his hospital bedside.
Ramesh described how, after the initial impact, he wasn’t sure that he was alive. He was seated in an emergency row, and opened his eyes to see destruction all around him inside the plane.
The lone crash survivor was born in India, but has lived in the U.K. since 2003
Viswash Kumar Ramesh is described in the media as a 40-year-old British national who lives in London with his wife and child. The BBC says that he was born in India but has lived in England since 2003.
His brother Ajay, who was also on the flight with him, did not survive. He and his brother were returning to the U.K. after visiting family in India, media report.
Ramesh is expected to be released from the hospital within the next few days. He has sustained slight bruises and cuts, but nothing life-threatening. Doctors expect a full recovery.
Besides TV reporters, Ramesh accepted one very special visitor, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi was in the hospital to meet with the victims’ families and stopped by to chat with Ramesh as well. So far, officials say the number of those who lost their lives in the accident, both on the plane and the ground, is 279, but that number is expected to keep rising.
241 people, including crew and passengers, onboard the plane have perished, as well as dozens of people inside the building that the plane crashed into; a medical school hostel, filled with people eating lunch.
Identifying the victims has been difficult, search and rescue teams tell the media. That’s because the intense fires and explosions that resulted from the crash likely incinerated many of the victims’ bodies.
