I escaped devastating plane crash that left 101 dead…while in SAME 11A seat as Brit sole survivor of Air India disaster
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A LUCKY man who survived a fatal plane crash has revealed he was sat in the same seat as the Brit sole survivor in the Air India disaster.
Ruangsak Loychusak was onboard the Thai Airways flight TG261 from Bangkok to India when it stalled and plunged into a swamp - killing 101 people on board.
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Ruangsak Loychusak was on the doomed Thai Airways flight TG261 flight that crashed and killed 101 people
Credit: Asia Pacific Press via ViralPress
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Loychusak has now revealed he was sat on seat 11A
Credit: Asia Pacific Press via ViralPress
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A picture of Loychusak being rescued
Credit: Asia Pacific Press via ViralPress
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Vishwash Kumar Ramesh is the sole survivor of the Air India Crash
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Picture showing his flight's boarding pass
But the singer revealed he was sitting in seat 11A when the plane went down in 1998.
The tragedy left 101 of the 132 passengers and 14 crew members dead. Some 45 people were injured.
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Ruangsak said he had "goosebumps" when it was revealed that the only survivor from the Air India crash was seated in 11A as well.
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, cheated death after being flung from his seat on the flaming Air India jet - escaping with minor injuries and filmed walking away after the wreck.
He said the plane broke off after the crash and his seat flung out of the wreckage.
Ruangsak said: "The lone survivor of the plane crash in India was sitting in the same seat number as me, 11A.
Is THIS the moment that saved the sole Brit survivor? Vid shows debris fly from Air India jet…is it door he fled from?
"I want to offer my condolences to all those who lost loved ones in the tragedy."
Although the Thai man no longer has his ticket from the doomed flight almost three decades ago, he said the newspaper reports from the time had recorded his seat number.
It would also be available on the flight records, he added.
He said: "I had difficulty flying for 10 years after the crash. I would struggle to breathe, 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.
"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."
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner with 242 passengers on board - including 53 Brits and 11 children - smashed into a doctors' hostel in the west of India on Thursday.
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A newspaper report about the Thai crash
Credit: Asia Pacific Press via ViralPress
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Loychusak in a hospital aftr the crash
Credit: Asia Pacific Press via ViralPress
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The plane was seen disappearing behind buildings before the huge blast
Credit: X
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The plane was seen wedged in a building
Credit: Reuters
But Ramesh miralously escaped from the burning aircraft, becoming the only person to make it out alive.
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.
His boarding pass revealed he was sat on seat 11A, next to the flight's emergency exit.
Ramesh revealed how he survived the tragic crash that killed everyone on board but him.
Speaking in Hindi, he said: "Everything happened in front of me and I couldn't believe how I had come out alive.
"I thought for a second that I was going to die. But when I opened my eyes, I realised I was alive. I tried to slip out of the plane.
"I saw the air hostess, other passengers all in front of me. Within a few seconds, it felt the plane had stopped, and the green and white lights switched on.
"It felt like maybe [the pilot] suddenly accelerated to take off, but it went down to a hostel from there at high speed. I saw everything.
"The door broke [near me] broke off and I tried to slip out. The opposite side of the plane hit the wall. That's why others could not get out.
"When I got out, I was taken to the ambulance and rushed to the hospital. My treatment is going well, and the people are very supportive."
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Huge plumes of black smoke could be seen billowing into the sky
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The plane crashed into a doctor's hostel
Credit: EPA
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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 was seen disappearing behind buildings before a huge blast was seen in the distance.
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The Independent
4 hours ago
- The Independent
‘My grandson was burnt alive': Grief engulfs neighbourhood where Air India crash killed dozens on the ground
Grief hangs heavy in Meghani Nagar in Ahmedabad, as the wreckage of a London‑bound Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner lies smouldering in the compound of BJ Medical College. The devastating crash – which took place around 2pm local time on Thursday – left emergency services scrambling amid thick plumes of smoke and debris, entire streets in shock and families shattered. All but one of the 242 people on board the flight were killed, but there were dozens more fatalities on the ground as the plane came down in a residential area. Among those devastated by the unfathomable tragedy is the Patni family. Seventy-year-old Babibehen Babu Bhai Patni sits on the gritty communal floor of her residential society, utterly inconsolable. Click here for the latest updates on the crash She mourns her 12-year-old grandson Akash, whose life was tragically cut short, while her son and daughter‑in‑law suffered grievous injuries. The young boy was accompanying his mother, Sitabehen Patni, when he fell asleep beneath a tree near their tea stall on the college grounds. Moments later, the aircraft hurtled from the sky, engulfing him in a fatal fire. 'All that remains of him is his burnt body, almost looking like a piece of ash,' Babibehen says, her voice choked with agony. 'My daughter… her arm, her leg, all burnt. She is serious and in ICU. My son is also burnt. Nothing of my grandson's is left. What will I do? Is this even his age to die?' Her grief is unfiltered, raw, and unrelenting as she wails loudly, surrounded by the women of her community. The body of Akash remains at the hospital in Ahmedabad, awaiting identification and release to his family – a cruel limbo that amplifies her sorrow. 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Daily Mirror
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