Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru
Bengaluru, June 15: As the aviation world reels from the recent Air India crash near Ahmedabad, memories of the 2010 Mangaluru plane disaster have come flooding back for survivors — particularly Joel D’Souza, who narrowly escaped death 15 years ago.
On June 12, an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner en route to London Gatwick crashed moments after take-off from Ahmedabad, leaving 241 people dead. Miraculously, only one person survived —a British-Indian national identified as Vishwas Kumar Ramesh. His survival has stunned the world and is being hailed as a divine miracle.
The catastrophe has triggered haunting recollections for Joel D’Souza, one of the eight survivors of the Mangaluru crash on May 22, 2010, in which 158 people perished.
Speaking to the media, D’Souza shared that even after a decade and a half, the trauma still lingers.
“It’s been 15 years, but the entire episode feels like it happened just yesterday. The anxiety has never really gone away,” he said.
D’Souza had been travelling from Dubai to Mangaluru at the time of the crash, returning home with a new job offer and plans to change his visa.
“My family had come to receive me at the airport. I was excited about the new opportunity and couldn’t wait to celebrate with my loved ones. But that joy turned to devastation in an instant,” he recalled.
“I was to report to a new role in the technical division within a week. But I suffered a fractured leg and a slipped disc in the crash. I had to be hospitalised, and those injuries still affect my daily life. I lost that job due to my condition. Even now, I suffer panic attacks every time a flight begins to descend.”
Describing the horrific moments following the crash, he said: “There was chaos all around. Fellow passengers were screaming in agony; no one could help anyone else. I saw people burn alive right before my eyes. I was powerless. But by some miracle, I found a small gap and leapt out of the aircraft. That’s how I survived.”
Local residents helped him reach the terminal, where his family was waiting—still unaware of the disaster.
“When I informed them, others nearby started rushing to check on their loved ones. The atmosphere was heartbreaking—utterly devastating,” D’Souza said, visibly emotional.
The long-term impact went far beyond physical injuries. “I lost the job I had worked so hard to get. Today, I work as a factory supervisor in Dubai. But I’m still unable to fly alone. Unless someone accompanies me, I simply won’t travel. I firmly believe it was God’s grace and my family’s prayers that kept me alive. Even now, whenever I return to Mangaluru, the memories haunt me.”
This powerful testimony is a stark reminder that even as headlines fade, the scars borne by survivors of aviation disasters remain deeply etched—both in body and mind.