A composite photo of Thai singer Ruangsak Loychusak (left) and Vishwash Kumar Ramesh after surviving two separate airplane crashes 27 years apart. ARCHIVE

A Thai singer who survived a deadly 1998 plane crash is speaking out after a chilling coincidence connected him to the only survivor of the recent Air India disaster. Ruangsak Loychusak, now 47, was one of the few survivors of Thai Airways flight TG261, which crashed while attempting to land in Surat Thani on December 11, 1998. The plane stalled and plunged into a swamp, killing 101 of the 132 passengers and 14 crew members onboard. Loychusak survived—and remembers sitting in seat 11A. More than two decades later, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British national of Indian origin and the sole survivor of the Air India crash in Ahmedabad, India, also emerged from the wreckage—and was seated in 11A. “The lone survivor of the plane crash in India was sitting in the same seat number as me, 11A,” Loychusak said. “I want to offer my condolences to all those who lost loved ones in the tragedy.” Although he no longer has his original boarding pass, media reports from 1998 confirm his seat assignment. The singer shared that the trauma of the crash deeply impacted him for years. “I had difficulty flying for 10 years after the crash. I would struggle breathing, even though the air circulation was normal,” he said. “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.” He added: “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.” Meanwhile, Ramesh, 40, survived the recent Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner crash, which killed 243 people onboard. He was ejected from the aircraft moments before it exploded in a fireball. “I don’t know how I came out of it alive,” Ramesh told Indian broadcaster Doordarshan from a hospital in Ahmedabad. “For a while, I thought I was about to die. But when I opened my eyes, I saw I was alive. And I opened my seatbelt and got out of there.” Ramesh’s account included harrowing details of witnessing the deaths of cabin crew members and narrowly escaping flames. “When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran,” he said. “Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital.” The connection between these two survivors—both seated in 11A—has captured global attention, with many calling it a haunting coincidence and a powerful reminder of survival against the odds. ICA/Expat Media
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