In the initial aftermath of the Air India flight’s tragic crash on Thursday (12 June), officials made the harrowing statement that there appeared to be no survivors.
But, as the day unfolded, the miraculous news broke that one single passenger of the 242 people on board had survived the terrifying ordeal.
A video began circulating of a man in a blood-stained shirt, who had supposedly walked off the plane.
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And in a staggering update that followed, Commissioner G.S. Malik told the Associated Press that a British man sat in seat 11A was found in the wreckage.
The man in question has since been identified as Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who has now spoken out about the ordeal. Here is everything we know about the sole survivor so far.
Who is Vishwash Kumar Ramesh?
Ramesh is a 40-year-old British national who hails from the city of Leicester.
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According to The Standard, he was born in India but has lived in the UK since 2003 with his wife and four-year-old son.
Reports say he was on a business trip with his brother Ajaykumar Ramesh, 35, who was just a few seats away from him on the plane but is tragically not thought to have survived.
How did he survive the crash?
Although the exact details are unclear, Ramesh was in seat 11A of the Air India flight, which is located in the emergency exit row, just in front of the plane’s left wing.
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In a new interview today (13 June), he explained how he managed to get out of the wreckage through an opening in the fuselage.
“I managed to unbuckle myself, used my leg to push through that opening, and crawled out," he told DD news, reports the BBC.
Recounting the shocking story, he continued: "When the door broke and I saw there was some space, I tried to get out of there and I did.
"No one could have got out from the opposite side, which was towards the wall, because it crashed there.”
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"I saw people dying in front of my eyes - the air hostesses, and two people I saw near me," he added.
Ramesh continued: "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. I walked out of the rubble."
Dr Dhaval Gameti, who treated Ramesh in the hospital, has since said that he was at first ‘disorientated, with multiple injuries all over his body,’ but that now he appears to be ‘out of danger’.
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What else has the survivor said so far?
In another interview, Ramesh detailed what it was like onboard when the plane hit the doctors’ hostel.
"When the flight took off, within five to 10 seconds it felt like it was stuck in the air," he explained, as per Metro.
"Suddenly, the lights started flickering – green and white – then the plane rammed into some establishment that was there."
And speaking to Hindustan Times yesterday after being found in the wreck - miraculously only having sustained 'impact injuries' on his chest, eyes and feet - Ramesh claimed to have heard a 'loud noise' around 30 seconds after the plane took off.
"It all happened so quickly," he said. "When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran.
"There were pieces of the plane all around me. Someone grabbed hold of me, put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital."
What have Ramesh’s family said?
Ramesh’s family have also commented on the miracle of his survival, with his older brother Nayankumar Ramesh, speaking with reporters outside their family home in Leicester.
He told the BBC: "When he [Vishwashkumar] called us, he was just more worried about [Ajay]... that's all he cares about at the moment."
And in a separate interview with ITV, the older brother added: “When the plane crashed, he called my dad saying 'the plane had crashed and I'm not sure how I made it out'.
“He was confused. He couldn't see our other brother," he said.
Topics: Air India, News, UK News, World News
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Madison Burgess