« Thought I would die right away » – DiePresse.com
The only surviving passenger of the Air India flight 171 describes his memories.
After the crash of an Air India machine in Ahmedabad in West India, the only surviving passenger described how he survived the accident. « Everything happened before my eyes and I couldn’t believe how I managed to get out alive, » said Vishwash Kumar Ramesh on Friday from his bedside from the Indian broadcaster DD News. The 40-year-old is currently being treated in the hospital for burns and other injuries.
Already « one minute after the start » it felt as if something was wrong, said Ramesh in the interview. « I realized that something happened and then suddenly the green and white lights went on. » After that, the machine apparently flown faster – « directly towards something that turned out to be a hospital. » Then the huge Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft fell into a residential area in the immediate vicinity of Ahmedabad Airport.
« At first I also thought that I would die right away »
« At first I also thought that I would die right away, but when I opened my eyes, I realized that I was still alive, » Ramesh continued. He saw a lifeless stewardess and older passengers in front of him. « I opened my seat belt and tried to escape and it worked, » said the 40-year-old, who, according to media reports, had been in number 11 a near the emergency exit.
His side of the aircraft apparently did not appear on the building, said Ramesh. She was « closer to the ground » and when the aircraft door opened, he saw that there was enough space for him to get out. Ramesh was seen on videos that were distributed in online networks, how he limped into an ambulance in a blood-smeared T-shirt.
Slight burns on one hand
« I have slight burns on my left hand because of the fire, but an ambulance took me to a hospital, » said the survivor. There the staff take good care of him. In addition, Ramesh was visited by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, as could be seen on his YouTube channel.
Ramesh had climbed the accident machine together with his brother to fly to London. According to the British news agency PA, the Briton with Indian roots lives in the central English city of Leicester.
According to Air India, the 230 passengers of the flight AI-171 were 169 Indians, 53 British, seven Portuguese and a Canadian. In addition, twelve crew members were on board. According to the police on Friday, 265 fatalities have been recovered from the aircraft wreck and from the buildings into which the machine had crashed. Among the dead are at least 24 people who were not on board the aircraft. (APA/AFP)
