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By Shane Croucher
Senior Editor
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A new video has surfaced online showing the moment the sole survivor of the Air India plane crash walked away from the scene as the wreckage exploded into flames behind him.
Viswashkumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British national, survived the Flight AI171 crash that killed all 241 others on board and at least five more people in the area that the plane hit, which included a hostel for medical students.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed soon after take-off from Ahmedabad Airport, India, on its way to London Gatwick. The cause of the crash is under investigation, and the black box has been retrieved from the site.
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'Bodies All Around Me'
Ramesh told India's national broadcaster he was still struggling to comprehend how he survived. According to Ramesh, the aircraft appeared to stall almost immediately after taking off.
He said green and white lights came on, and right after that, the aircraft accelerated but seemed unable to gain height before it crashed.
As the aircraft failed to gain altitude, it plummeted into a building. Ramesh, in seat 11A on the side that crashed into the structure's lower level, said the impact caused the fuselage to split and the emergency door to open.
He unfastened his seat belt and forced himself out of the plane. "When I opened my eyes, I realized I was alive," he said.
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Ramesh had earlier spoken to the Hindustan Times from his hospital bed, where he was being treated for his injuries.
"Thirty seconds after takeoff, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly," Ramesh 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."
Ramesh's brother was also on the plane. He called relatives in Leicester, England, immediately after the crash.
Another of his brothers told Sky News: "He video called my dad as he crashed and said, 'Oh the plane's crashed. I don't know where my brother is. I don't see any other passengers. I don't know how I'm alive, how I exited the plane'."
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Ramesh in the hospital.
"We are all devastated by the air tragedy in Ahmedabad. The loss of so many lives in such a sudden and heartbreaking manner is beyond words," Modi later posted on X.
"We understand their pain and also know that the void left behind will be felt for years to come."
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