The fatal Air India plane crash which took place on Thursday, June 12, is reported to have killed 241 out of the 242 people who were on board the plane.
A man who survived another plane crash almost three decades ago has now pointed out that he was in the same seat as the sole survivor of the plane crash on Thursday, seat 11A.
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The plane was meant to land in London
The 787-8 Boeing Dreamliner carrying 230 passengers and 12 cabin crew members took off from Ahmedabad Airport in Western India, heading for Gatwick Airport in London.
It crashed moments after taking off, with air traffic controllers receiving mayday calls from the aircraft just seconds after takeoff.
The cause of the crash is still unidentified
The exact cause of the crash is still unknown, but aviation experts have their theories.
Aviation analyst Geoffrey Thomas told BBC that the aircraft’s flaps, which are positioned on the wings to increase or decrease the surface area of the wings, were likely not in the right place after takeoff.
Only one flyer survived
Among the 242 people who were on the flight, only one person survived: a British dad named Vishwash Kumar Ramesh. He had been sitting in seat 11A.
Talking to the Hindustan Times, Ramesh said, “It all happened so quickly,” claiming he first heard a ‘loud noise’ around 30 seconds after takeoff.
He recalled the incident
“When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran,” the sole survivor recalled.
“There were pieces of the plane all around me. Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital,” he added.
Another man has since shared he was in the same seat
Since the tragedy, another plane crash survivor has spoken out, claiming he was in the same seat number as Ramesh in a Thai Airways flight that crashed in 1998.
Professional singer Ruangsak Loychusak was on the Thai Airways flight TG261 that killed 101 passengers and injured another 45 in 1998.
He claimed he had also been sitting in seat 11A before miraculously surviving the disastrous event. The plane was traveling from Bangkok to Surat Thani when it plunged into a swamp during landing.
Loychusak spoke to the press about the miracle
Since the Air India tragedy, Loychusak, 47, has spoken to the press about experiencing ‘goosebumps’ as soon as he learnt Ramesh was also in seat 11A.
“The lone survivor of the plane crash in India was sitting in the same seat number as me, 11A,” he said. “I want to offer my condolences to all those who lost loved ones in the tragedy.”
He recalled being given a ‘second life’
Loychusak admitted the traumatic event left him anxious about flying in the years after. “I had difficulty flying for 10 years after the crash,” he said.
“I would struggle breathing, even though the air circulation was normal. I avoided speaking to anyone and always stared outside the window, blocking anyone from closing it to maintain my sense of safety.”
“If I saw dark clouds or a rainstorm outside, I would feel terrible, like I was in hell. I can still remember the sounds, smells, and even the taste of the water in the swamp the plane crashed into. For a long time, I would keep the feelings to myself.”
Ramesh has since also recalled walking out of the rubble
The Air India survivor has since spoken again to the press about surviving the tragedy on Thursday. Telling Metro about the moment the plane went down, he said, “When the flight took off, within five to 10 seconds it felt like it was stuck in the air.”
“Suddenly, the lights started flickering – green and white – then the plane rammed into some establishment that was there.”
He witnessed people dying
Ramesh went on, “When I saw the exit, I thought I could come out. I tried, and I did. Maybe the people who were on the other side of the plane weren’t able to.”
The British father said he ‘doesn’t know how’ he made it out alive. “I saw people dying in front of my eyes – the air hostesses, and two people I saw near me,” Ramesh added. “I walked out of the rubble.”