The brother of the only survivor of a deadly crash in India recalled what he did first after escaping the wreckage.
The only known survivor of Air India Flight 171 called his family in Britain moments after emerging from the wreckage, sharing news of his survival after a tragedy that reportedly killed 241 others.
“I don’t know how I am alive,” said Viswash Kumar Ramesh, 38, according to his younger brother, Nayan Ramesh, 27, as reported by The New York Times.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner went down shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad, India, en route to London. Among the victims was Viswash’s brother, Ajay, who had been traveling with him.
Nayan said that Viswash, who had been on vacation, managed to make a video call to their father from beside the wreckage. “Our plane crashed,” Viswash said. “I have no idea how I got outside.”
He shared the miraculous news of his survival with the devastating realization that his brother and the other passengers were missing. “I can’t see my brother. I can’t see any other passengers,” Viswash said, according to Nayan. He was in complete shock.
At the Ramesh family home in Leicester, grief mingled with astonishment. Outside, mourners gathered quietly, while inside, relatives comforted a woman seen crying near the open doorway.
In India, Dr. Dhaval Gameti, who said he examined Viswash, told the Associated Press that the survivor was “disoriented, with multiple injuries all over his body, but he seems to be out of danger.” According to Nayan, the hospital staff advised bed rest and temporarily disabled Viswash’s phone to allow him time to recover.
Authorities have not yet released the cause of the crash.
