Here is an alphanumeric number you should never forget: “11A.” In case you missed it, Air India Boeing 787‑8 Dreamliner bound for London crashed just moments after takeoff from Ahmedabad today, (June 12), claiming the lives of at least 241 people, but the carnage was just beginning. A forty‑year‑old British‑Indian businessman, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, seated in exit row 11A, survived and now lies in Ahmedabad’s Civil Hospital recovering from his injuries.
He jumped from the plane as it crashed through an emergency exit. He was extremely disoriented when he recounted what had happened. For all he knows, maybe he was ejected from his seat, but if it happened, then he walked off, it’s wild.
Talk about lucky.
From his hospital bed, and seemingly in one piece, at least physically, Ramesh described a terrifying beginning: “Thirty seconds after takeoff, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly.” He recalled regaining consciousness amid debris and casualties: “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.”
Found walking near the site with bloodied but non-life-threatening injuries, Ramesh was placed in an ambulance and taken to the hospital.
HE WALKED AWAY FROM A PLANE CRASH THAT KILLED 241 PEOPLE AND WHO KNOWS HOW MANY ON THE GROUND (IF ANY). The latter ground fatalities are not yet confirmed.
He remains in stable condition, according to the doctors. His brother, Ajay, who was seated elsewhere on the plane, has not been located, leaving the family in agonizing uncertainty. He is presumed deceased.
As authorities review cockpit voice recorders and flight data, the aviation world awaits answers behind this devastating tragedy and the extraordinary survival of seat 11A’s lone passenger.
Unbelievable world we live in.