Miracle in the face of disaster: passenger thrown from plane survives among 274 dead
In the wake of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner crash in India that killed 274 people, two remarkable stories of rescue have emerged: that of a 28-year-old student who missed her flight and that of the sole surviving passenger on board.
According to the BBC, Indian student Bhumi Chauhan had returned from the UK on holiday. On the day of the crash, she had planned to fly from Ahmedabad to London but got stuck in traffic and arrived at the airport 10 minutes late. The airline staff refused to let her board. At first, Bhumi was furious with the driver, but after learning about the crash, she realized that her delay was “a real miracle.”
The plane crashed seconds after takeoff, crashing into a medical college building. There were 242 people on board; 241 passengers and 33 people on the ground died. The plane crashed into a dining hall where students and doctors were sitting, resulting in many casualties.
According to eyewitnesses, the crash of Air India Flight AI171 was a tragedy, with 241 people killed and only one passenger, 40-year-old British national Vishwaskumar Ramesh, surviving the crash a minute after takeoff.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed into a residential area of Meghani Nagar, hitting a building housing medical college students. At least eight people on the ground, including four students and their relatives, were among the dead.
Ramesh, who was sitting in seat 11A, survived because the part of the plane he was on was not damaged in the explosion. He said that after the plane started shaking and flashes of light appeared, he felt a substantial impact as the aircraft collided with the building. “I climbed out of the wreckage through a hole in the fuselage. Everyone on the other side died,” he said.
Video from the scene shows Ramesh walking to the ambulance, covered in ash and soot. He suffered multiple injuries, but doctors assured him that his life was not in danger.
There were 169 Indians, 53 Britons, 7 Portuguese, and 1 Canadian on board. The plane was supposed to land in London but crashed 56 seconds after takeoff.
Of the two “black boxes” found at the crash site, one has already become available for analysis, which may help determine the causes of the tragedy. The Indian Air Accidents Investigation Branch is investigating with the participation of experts from the United States, the United Kingdom, and representatives of Boeing.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already visited the crash site and the hospital where the victims are being treated. A helpline has been established in the UK for bereaved families, and the Foreign Office is providing consular support to the families affected by the tragedy.
Ramesh’s brother, Ajay, was also on board. His fate remains unknown, but the family is assuming the worst.
