Man says he's the sole survivor of the Air India plane crash
A senior Indian police official told the country's national news agency ANI on Thursday that one person — a man who was in seat 11A on the doomed Air India flight to London that crashed soon after takeoff in the city of Ahmedabad — survived the catastrophe.
Air India later confirmed there was a "sole survivor" of the crash, identified as a "British national of Indian origin."
Indian media outlets spoke with the man in a local hospital who said he was U.K. citizen Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, the person who had been listed in that seat on flight AI171, according to the flight manifest shared by Indian authorities.
"Everything happened in front of my eyes," Ramesh said in an interview with an Indian TV outlet. "I don't believe how I survived. For some time I thought I was also going to die. But when I opened my eyes, I realized I was alive and I tried to unbuckle myself from the seat and escape."
Ramesh said that within a minute after takeoff, "it felt like the plane came to a standstill for 5-10 seconds." He said there was a small open space outside the plane on his side and he was able to make his way out.
Dr. Dhaval Gameti at Ahmedabad's Civil Hospital told The Associated Press that he had examined Ramesh and that while the crash survivor "was disoriented with multiple injuries all over his body... he seems to be out of danger."
Gameti told The AP that 186 bodies of passengers from the plane had been brought to the Civil Hospital.
Indian media outlets that spoke with Ramesh in the hospital said he had a ticket for the ill-fated flight showing his name and the 11A seat assignment.
"Thirty seconds after takeoff, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly," the Hindustan Times quoted Ramesh as saying. The newspaper said he reported suffering "impact injuries" to his chest, face and feet.
News of his survival came after initial reports from officials saying everyone on board had been killed in the crash.
Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik, who initially told ANI there were no known survivors from the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that crashed into the city, was by the same news agency as saying "the police found one survivor in seat 11A." He said the person was "in the hospital and is under treatment."
"Yes, one survivor is confirmed," said Dhananjay Dwivedi, principal secretary of the Gujarat state health department, according to the French news agency AFP, without identifying the person.
Video of the crash shows the plane flying low over buildings before dropping out of sight, followed by a massive explosion that sends a giant fireball into the air.
CBS News partner network BBC News spoke to Ramesh's cousin, Ajay Valgi, who is in the U.K. Valgi said he had spoken to Ramesh over the phone on Thursday.
"He only said that he's fine, nothing else," Valgi said.
He said Ramesh had been sitting next to his brother on the flight, but the brother's whereabouts are unknown.
"I'm feeling absolutely upset," Valgi said. "He's not just my cousin, he's also one of my best friends, as well."
