Ruangsak Loychusak, the popular Thai singer who survived a deadly plane crash in 1998 has opened up on how he survived a plane crash after learning that the only survivor of a recent Air India disaster was seated in the exact same seat he once occupied, 11A.
Loychusak, 47, was onboard Thai Airways flight TG261 travelling from Bangkok to Surat Thani when it stalled and plunged into a swamp as it attempted to land.
The tragedy left 101 of the 132 passengers and 14 crew members dead, while 45 more were injured.
Speaking yesterday, Ruangsak said he had ‘goosebumps’ when seeing that the only survivor from the Air India crash in Ahmedabad was British passenger Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who was in seat 11A when his jet plunged into a building.
‘The lone survivor of the plane crash in India was sitting in the same seat number as me, 11A’, Mr Loychusak said.
‘I want to offer my condolences to all those who lost loved ones in the tragedy.’
Although the singer no longer possesses his ticket from the tragic flight, he mentioned that newspaper reports from that time recorded his seat number.
Mr. Ruangsak also shared how he has been living a ‘second life’ since surviving the devastating crash. “I lived a second life after the crash.
For 10 years, I struggled with flying. My breathing would become difficult even when the air was fine,” he said. He added that the experience haunted him both physically and emotionally for a long time.
“The sound of the crash, the smell of burning, even the taste of the swamp water, I remember it all. I carried it with me in silence for years.”