EXCLUSIVE Astonishing moment British survivor of Air India plane crash walks BACK towards flaming wreckage to rescue his brother, telling bystander: 'He's burning to death, I have to save him'

Daily Mail​

4 hours ago

This is the dramatic moment the British man who was the miraculous sole survivor of the Air India plane crash attempted to return to the inferno of the accident to save his brother.
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, was captured on camera staggering towards a building engulfed by ferocious flames as dense smoke billowed in the air.
In the video, exclusively obtained by MailOnline emergency worker Satinder Singh Sandhu, who is wearing a turquoise turban and orange shirt, can be seen waving his arms as he desperately shouts at Mr Ramesh to come towards him to escape the devastation.
It was previously thought that images that have gone viral showed Mr Ramesh incredibly emerging from the crash moments after the Air India jet smashed into the hostel of a medical college on 12 June.
But MailOnline can reveal that what they actually show is him walking towards Mr Sandhu after he luckily spotted him attempting to walk back into the horrific crash site and vociferously pleaded with him not to.
Mr Sandhu, who was the first emergency worker at the scene told MailOnline: 'I saw a man in a white t-shirt walking back towards the fire. He appeared quite dazed and confused and I shouted: 'Stop. What are you doing? Don't go back in there. You'll die.'
'I was shouting as loud as I could and waving my arms pointing to the flames. There was a lot of panic and confusion but luckily for him, he heard me.'
He added: 'The man had initially walked away from the crash but how he did that I don't know. Fortunately, I saw him walking back towards it and couldn't believe that anybody would do such a thing. I was screaming at the top of my voice and begging him not to go back in there, telling him to get away and walk to me.'
Mr Sandhu revealed that after hearing his desperate pleas, Mr Ramesh turned, started walking towards him and told him: 'My family member is in there, my brother and he's burning to death. I have to save him.'
Mr Sandhu, 41 said: 'I walked nearer to Mr Ramesh, grabbed him by the arm and led him away to a waiting ambulance. I had no idea that he was a passenger on the plane and thought he was a resident of the hostel or a passer-by.
'He was very disoriented and shocked and was limping. There was also blood on his face, but he was able to speak. He told the paramedics that he was flying to London when the plane fell and that he wanted to go back to save his family.'
The horrific crash killed all but one of the 242 passengers and crew on board. Mr Ramesh's older brother Ajay, 45 who was seated across the aisle from him is also believed to have been killed although his body has yet to be formally identified. The brothers, who live in Leicester, had been in India visiting relatives.
Mr Sandhu, who is responsible for a fleet of ambulances at Ahmedabad's Civil Hospital close to where the crash occurred revealed that he was having lunch last Thursday when he heard a loud explosion.
He immediately dropped his plate and ran towards the blast and after seeing the devastation before him, made the first emergency call of the incident at 1.41pm alerting his boss Jeetendra Shahi that he should send as many ambulances as possible and the other emergency services.
In the call, which MailOnline has a recording of he says in a remarkably calm voice: 'There is a fire near Civil (hospital). It is a plane crash or something, I don't know. Please ask the team leader to send ambulances and fire brigade at the earliest.'
Mr Shahi responds: 'Yes, I am sending.'
Mr Sandhu revealed: 'When I got there it was horrific. There were burnt bodies scattered all over the street, huge flames and lots of smoke and people were running around and shouting.
'At first I wasn't 100% sure if it was a plane crash but then I looked up and could see part of an aircraft stuck in the building and realised what had happened.'
Mr Sandhu revealed that it was only in the evening of last Thursday that he was informed that Mr Ramesh was a passenger on the plane and the sole survivor.
He said: 'I still can't believe how he walked away from that crash. But what is more shocking is that if it hadn't been for me, he'd have gone back into the flames because he was determined to save his brother.
'I feel very honoured to have saved Mr Ramesh but at the same time, I was only doing my duty. My job is all about saving lives.'
Mr Ramesh is still being treated at the Civil Hospital but has not sustained any serious injuries. He is expected to be discharged shortly.
Mr Sandhu said: 'I'd love to meet him one day because I feel that I now have a very special connection with him. His survival is an unbelievable miracle and the one positive thing that has come out of this terrible tragedy.'