“There were bodies everywhere”: Miracle of British passenger who survived Air India plane crash

The sole survivor of the London-bound Air India flight that crashed soon after takeoff on Thursday has spoken from a hospital ward in Asarwa, Ahmedabad.

British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh was sitting in seat 11A when the flight crashed and is reportedly the only one of the 242 people on board to have survived. Videos captured at the scene claimed to show one man walking away from the wreckage, appearing relatively unharmed.

He was taken to a local hospital and has spoken to the Hindustan Times about his horrifying ordeal.

“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,” the 40-year-old said. “Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital.”

He was able to recall details of the crash, which happened soon after departing from Ahmedabad. He reported that the plane quickly began a rapid descent and crashed into a building that was reported to be a doctors’ hostel in the city of around 5 million people.

He explained: “Thirty seconds after takeoff, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly.”

Investigations will continue at the crash site for days and weeks to come. The plane is thought to have been carrying 169 Indian nationals, 53 Brits, seven Portuguese and Canadian.

In addition to the on-board fatalities, the BBC reports that at least 50 medical students who were staying at the hostel were hospitalized when the plane crashed into the building.

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