A new video has emerged showing students and staff jumping out of the medical college building where an Air India plane had crashed last week. The horrific tragedy involving a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner killed all 241 people on board, except a sole survivor who had a miraculous escape.
The crash site was the medical college canteen where students were having lunch at the time of the incident. Visuals from the site showed a massive fire after the crash with dozens of deaths being reported on the ground, including doctors and students.
The crash sparked a desperate search for an escape route amid raging fire. For many students and staff at higher floors, the only escape route was via the balcony. But that wasn’t easy.
The 21-second viral footage showed students crossing the balcony fencing and trying to climb down.
This is among the several videos that have emerged of one of this century’s worst air tragedies in India. One such video last week captured a woman’s desperate attempt to save her minor son from the crash site. Akash Patni, 15, died while his mother, Sitaben, was injured trying to save him.
Another video captured sole survivor Vishwash Kumar Ramesh walking out of the crash site, emerging from a thick cloud of smoke. The 40-year-old British Indian was seated in 11A on flight AI171. He was seen walking out in a white t-shirt, holding his mobile phone in his left hand. He was rushed to a hospital by the locals.
Mr Ramesh, who still finds it unbelievable how he survived, told Doordarshan that he first thought he was about to die, but realised he was alive when he opened his eyes. He then removed his seat belt and walked out of the crash site.
The doomed aircraft was flying to London from Ahmedabad with 230 passengers, two pilots, and 10 crew members. It crashed within 32 seconds of take-off. Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was among the 241 victims.
