A BRIT was the SOLE survivor of the Indian air disaster after he walked away from the blazing wreck where over 265 people perished – while his brother seated just a few seats away is feared dead.
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, cheated death after being flung from seat 11A on the flaming Air India jet – escaping with minor injuries and filmed walking away after the wreck.
He rang home and told his family he had no idea how he survived, and begged officials to find his brother while in hospital with injuries to his chest and face.
It comes as…
- Horror footage shows moment plane crashes into fireball
- Woman missed the flight by 10mins because of traffic
- Names of the Brits who died begin to emerge
- Pilot sent a desperate mayday call in final moments
- More Brits killed than any air disaster since 9/11
- A family shared a heartbreaking final selfie from onboard
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His brother Ajaykumar Ramesh, 35, is believed to have been seated in seat 11J – just four seats away from Vishwash.
Ajaykumar is officially missing – but Indian officials have said Vishwash is believed to be the flight’s sole survivor.
Incredible footage shows him walking away from the wreckage almost unscathed.
Flanked by the locals, he can be seen making his way towards an ambulance with blood caking his face.
Speaking in Hindi, he says: “I just got out of the plane, it exploded.”
Vishwash, who still had his boarding pass, told Hindustan Times: “Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly.”
Later, the London resident of 20 years described the moment of the disaster from his hospital bed.
He said, “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.
“Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital.”
Other Brits onboard were Akeel Nanabawa, 36, his wife Hannaa and their four-year-old daughter Sara, mum-of-three Raxa Modha and couple Fiongal and Jamie Greenlaw-Meek.
One relative said Vishwash called home to say he “is fine” but has “no idea” how he escaped the catastrophe alive.
His other brother Nayan Kumar Ramesh, 27, said: “We were just shocked as soon as we heard it. I last spoke to him yesterday morning.
“We’re devastated, just devastated. He [Vishwash] said: ‘I have no idea how I exited the plane.'”
Another relative called Jay said: “After the crash he [Vishwash] spoke to his dad worrying about his brother saying: ‘Where’s Ajay?’
“He’s got some injuries on his face. He was painted in blood. He was pretty much covered in blood, that’s what his dad said.”
He added: “He’s doing well I think. It’s a big shock. I don’t have many words to describe the incident.”
Vishwash was travelling in the doomed Air India flight with his brother Ajay Kumar Ramesh.
A picture of his boarding pass shows he was sat on seat 11A – which is next to the emergency exit, according to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner’s seating plan.
He added: “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.
“Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital.”
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner with 242 passengers on board – including 53 Brits – smashed into a doctors’ hostel in Ahmedabad in the west of India.
The plane was headed to London Gatwick with 232 passengers and 10 crew on board when it crashed just seconds after take-off.
The Dreamliner lost contact just seconds after take-off, according to flight tracking website Flightradar.
A final alert was last logged less than a minute after it started the journey from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.
It had only reached 625ft at the time, officials believe.
Seconds before the crash, the Boeing was filmed flying low over the Meghani Nagar residential area with the pilots appearing to be in a desperate bid to keep the plane in the air.
Moments later, it is seen disappearing behind buildings before a huge blast erupts in the distance.
Thick plumes of black smoke can then be seen pouring into the sky.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “The scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating.”
King Charles also said both he and Queen Camilla are “desperately shocked by the terrible events in Ahmedabad this morning”.
The US-built Boeing 787 is one of the world’s most advanced airliners and the accident is the first fatal crash involving the plane.