A man who survived a devastating plane crash in 1998 has issued a heartfelt statement after discovering that the only survivor of the recent Air India disaster was seated in the exact same seat as him.
Tragedy Strikes in Ahmedabad
On June 12, a horrifying crash occurred shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, western India. Of the 242 passengers and crew on board the Air India flight headed for London’s Gatwick Airport, only one person survived: 40-year-old British passenger Vishwash Kumar Ramesh.
The tragic accident claimed the lives of 241 individuals, and Ramesh later shared his experience with the Hindustan Times. He described the chaotic moment the plane went down: “It all happened so quickly,” he said, revealing that he sustained injuries to his chest, eyes, and feet.
“When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran,” he 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.”
Recalling the Terrifying Moments
Ramesh spoke again to the media the following day, offering further insight into the disaster. According to Metro, he explained: “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.”
Reflecting on how he survived, he said: “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.”
Still in shock, Ramesh admitted he doesn’t fully understand how he survived: “I saw people dying in front of my eyes – the air hostesses, and two people I saw near me. I walked out of the rubble.”
A Haunting Coincidence: Seat 11A
Ramesh’s survival has drawn comparisons to another aviation tragedy. He was seated in 11A — the very same seat that Thai singer Ruangsak Loychusak occupied when he survived the Thai Airways TG261 crash in 1998.
That flight, traveling from Bangkok to Surat Thani, stalled during its landing approach and crashed into a swamp. Out of the 146 people onboard, 101 passengers and 14 crew members died. Loychusak was one of the 45 injured survivors.
Now 47, Ruangsak Loychusak said he felt chills upon hearing the eerie similarity between the two events. “The lone survivor of the plane crash in India was sitting in the same seat number as me, 11A,” he told the press. “I want to offer my condolences to all those who lost loved ones in the tragedy.”
He went on to reveal how deeply the crash affected his mental health: “I had difficulty flying for 10 years after the crash. 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.”
He added, “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.”
A Second Chance at Life
Despite the trauma, Loychusak expressed gratitude for surviving. He described his experience as receiving a “second life” — a sentiment that now resonates with Ramesh, the latest survivor of a tragedy tied by coincidence, fate, and a shared seat.