Passenger who survived Air India disaster was sat in same seat as man who escaped fatal plane crash years ago
News has emerged that the sole survivor of the Air India plane crash that killed 241 out of 242 flyers yesterday (12 Jun) was sitting in the same seat as the survivor of a similarly devastating incident.
A Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner collided with a doctors' hostel yesterday just minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad in Western India. The aircraft was scheduled to land at Gatwick Airport in London at 18:25 local time, following a 09:50 departure.
A mayday call was made to air traffic control officers by those in the cockpit just seconds after takeoff, however, marking 'the last signal' from those on board.
Authorities on the ground in India subsequently suggested that there would likely be 'no survivors' on board the plane, after footage shared online showed the commercial jet landing in a residential area - before exploding.
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It was later revealed, however, that one single passenger had made it out of the wreck alive.
The survivor is a British man, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who'd been travelling back to the UK, sitting in seat 11A.
His brother Ajay was sat in a different row and sadly perished in the deadly collision, the cause of which remains unknown.
"It all happened so quickly," Ramesh told Hindustan Times of his escape, claiming to have heard a 'loud noise' around 30 seconds after takeoff.
"When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran."
He continued: "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."
In the hours since, another plane crash survivor has spoken out, claiming he was sitting in the same seat number as Ramesh.
Professional singer Ruangsak Loychusak had also been sitting in seat 11A during the Thai Airways flight TG261 that killed 101 passengers in 1998, whilst injuring a further 45.
The aircraft had been travelling from the capital of Bangkok to Surat Thani when it suddenly stalled.
The plane plunged into a swamp during the landing attempt as a result, with 14 crew members also losing their lives as a result.
Loychusak, 47, told the press yesterday he experienced 'goosebumps' after learning that Ramesh, the sole survivor of the Air India flight, had also been sitting in 11A when the plane went down.
"The lone survivor of the plane crash in India was sitting in the same seat number as me, 11A," he began.
"I want to offer my condolences to all those who lost loved ones in the tragedy."
The Thai survivor also acknowledged that surviving the fatal collision has given him a "second life."
"I had difficulty flying for 10 years after the crash," Loychusak confessed.
"I would struggled breathing, even though the air circulation was normal. I avoided speaking to anyone and always stared outside the window, blocking anyone from closing it to maintain my sense of safety.
"If I saw dark clouds or a rainstorm outside, I would feel terrible, like I was in hell. "I can still remember the sounds, smells, and even the taste of the water in the swamp the plane crashed into.
"For a long time, I would keep the feelings to myself."
Ramesh, the survivor of yesterday's crash, has since spoken to the press again today - as per Metro - about the moment the plane went down.
"When the flight took off, within five to 10 seconds it felt like it was stuck in the air," he added further detail.
"Suddenly, the lights started flickering – green and white – then the plane rammed into some establishment that was there."
Reflecting on his survival, the Leicester man went on to recall: "When I saw the exit, I thought I could come out. I tried, and I did.
"Maybe the people who were on the other side of the plane weren’t able to."
Ramesh went on to admit he 'doesn't know how' he was able to make it out alive.
"I saw people dying in front of my eyes – the air hostesses, and two people I saw near me," Ramesh continued.
"I walked out of the rubble."
Topics: Air India, Travel, US News, World News, News, UK News
Rhianna Benson