The Boeing 787 Dreamliner had departed from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:38PM local time, ready to begin what should have been a routine journey.
But just moments after takeoff, the plane suddenly lost all power and crashed straight into the doctors’ hostel at BJ Medical College. The horrific impact killed almost everyone on board, followed by an intense fireball that erupted on the scene.
Initial findings have revealed that the aircraft was running on its emergency power unit, which may have been activated due to a serious engine malfunction. Investigators suspect both engines might have failed, leaving the pilots with a terrifyingly short window of just 17 seconds to respond before the crash occurred.
Nearly one week after the crash, 40-year-old Vishwash—who is originally from Leicester—was seen walking with a noticeable limp. He had plasters covering injuries on his face as he joined others in helping to carry his brother’s casket, according to a report from the Daily Mail.
“I don’t believe how I survived. For some time I thought I was also going to die. But when I opened my eyes, I realised I was alive and I tried to unbuckle myself from the seat and escape from where I could,” he said.
Vishwash continued to describe the chaos: “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. The aircraft wasn’t gaining altitude and was just gliding before it suddenly slammed into a building and exploded.”
As the crash site became engulfed in thick smoke and flames, disturbing eyewitness footage captured Vishwash making a desperate attempt to run back into the fire to rescue his brother.
“My family member is in there, my brother and he’s burning to death. I have to save him,” Vishwash told the emergency workers who were first on the scene.
“We started shouting at him as he was disorientated and tried to go back to the site, even as the fire and smoke billowed.”
Even though he was clearly injured and walking with difficulty, Vishwash did not accept any assistance when it came time to carry his brother’s coffin, which was covered with flowers.