On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, the only person to survive the Air India crash that rocked the city a day earlier.
Ramesh, a British national of Indian descent, is currently recovering at a hospital in Ahmedabad after sustaining multiple injuries in the tragedy.
Ramesh was travelling with his 45-year-old brother, Ajay Kumar Rakesh, who tragically perished in the crash. He shared his harrowing experience with the Prime Minister, describing the moments of chaos and fear.
“My brother was seated in a different row and didn’t survive. I still don’t know how I made it out alive,” he recounted.
He went on to describe the seconds that followed impact, “For a while, I thought I was going to die. Everything happened in front of my eyes — the noise, the impact, the fire. I somehow found a small space to escape.”
Reflecting on the cause of the crash, Ramesh said, “After take-off, the aircraft seemed to stall briefly. Then it suddenly nosedived and crashed into the building. I was on the opposite side of where the plane hit. That saved me.”
Despite injuries, Ramesh was able to walk away from the wreckage and expressed gratitude for the medical care he is receiving.
The Prime Minister also visited Civil Hospital, where doctors are treating many of the injured victims.
Among them are numerous students from BJ Medical College; the crashing aircraft struck their hostel directly.
The building was crowded with young MBBS students, many of whom were in the dining area when the aircraft struck with devastating force.
The Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, en route to London, crashed shortly after departing from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. It plummeted into the BJ Medical College hostel in Meghaninagar, a densely populated area just 3 kilometres from the airport.
The aircraft crashed at approximately 1:30 PM, while students were gathering for lunch.
Emergency teams have since launched an extensive rescue and recovery mission.
The identification and handover of victims’ bodies to their families is underway, while investigators continue combing the wreckage for clues to what caused one of the country’s most shocking aviation disasters in recent years.
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