Air India Crash: Survivor Reportedly Rescued from the Wreckage
Ramesh Vishwaskumar Bucharvada was occupying seat 11A, located just behind an emergency exit, which possibly saved his life
Ramesh Vishwaskumar Bucharvada, who was among the 242 people on board the ill-fated Air India flight AI171 that crashed, miraculously survived.
According to media outlets such as India Today, Ramesh, 38, was occupying seat 11A, located just behind an emergency exit, on the flight that crashed near Ahmedabad airport on Thursday afternoon, killing more than 200 people.
Video footage taken moments after the crash shows an injured Ramesh walking towards an ambulance as bystanders surround him and inquire about the fate of the other passengers.
Ahmedabad Police Commissioner G.S. Malik said one passenger survived the Air India plane crash, news agency ANI reported.
“Police found one survivor in seat 11A. The number of fatalities cannot be ascertained yet. The death toll could rise as the plane crashed in a residential area,” Malik said.
According to Aerolopa, an online aircraft seat chart site, seat 11A on Air India’s Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners is located in the first row of the Economy Class cabin. The window seat is located on the right side of the plane, two rows in front of the wings, and serves as an emergency exit in crisis situations.
Sources from the rescue teams told EFE that the hopes of finding people alive are very low, while dozens of bodies have been taken to hospitals, although searches continue among the remains of the charred fuselage.
The accident turned into a major catastrophe when the aircraft crashed into a student residence at BJ Medical College, killing at least five people and injuring dozens.