- A man in the UK altered his travel plans, avoiding a fatal Air India flight crash.
- Owen Jackson had been scheduled to board the flight but changed his ticket due to unfinished work.
- The Air India flight crashed shortly after takeoff, killing hundreds, including passengers and crew.
This is nothing short of a miracle. A man in the UK, who was meant to be onboard the Air India flight that crashed in Ahmedabad, is alive today because his plan changed at the last moment. Owen Jackson, from Saffron Walden in Essex, is not just thanking his stars, he is "shocked" and "grateful" for the life-saving decision. The plane crashed into a college hostel seconds after taking off from Ahmedabad airport, killing hundreds, including passengers, crew members and medical students in the hostel.
Out of 242 on board the Air India flight, one passenger - Vishwas Kumar Ramesh - miraculously survived. He was sitting on seat number 11A.
Speaking to UK-based The Sun, Jackson claimed he was also scheduled to board the same flight, but his plan changed due to unfinished work, forcing him to book Saturday tickets on what would have been the same aircraft if the accident hadn't taken place.
In a "weird coincidence", he further claimed that the seat allotted to him for Saturday's flight was 11A - now being touted as the safest.
"My main emotion on the whole thing is I'm quite grateful for the fact that I made that decision when I did," Jackson told The Sun.
"It's a shock. I'm more grateful than anything else - it is such a weird coincidence," the 31-year-old further said, adding that his wife was not aware of his change of plans.
His wife, Phillipa, was left worried after the news broke as she was not aware if Jackson had boarded the flight or not.
Calling the tragedy "awful", she said, "The way we felt is nothing compared to how the victims and their families are actually feeling."
How Vishwash Kumar Ramesh's life was saved
When the plane crashed on Thursday, it broke apart with impact, causing a massive fire aided by highly inflammable jet fuel. The 40-year-old told the media that when he opened his eyes, everything was burning, but he managed to squeeze through the broken hatch. He sustained injuries and received treatment in the hospital.
Some families of victims are still waiting to take possession of their loved ones' remains after DNA profiling and other identification of bodies.
