December 11, 1998 – Thai actor and singer Ruangsak Loychusak, then 20 years old, miraculously cheated death when Thai Airways Flight TG261 crash-landed in a swamp during its landing in southern Thailand. Out of 146 people on board, 101 lost their lives. Ruangsak was seated in seat 11A, and now, at the age of 47, he says he has noticed a mysterious coincidence.
Recently, while reading about the tragic crash of Air India Flight AI171, Ruangsak learned that the only survivor, Vishal Kumar Ramesh, was also seated in seat 11A. The Air India Boeing Dreamliner crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad Airport, and out of 242 passengers, only Ramesh survived.
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“I was also sitting on seat 11A, just like Ramesh!”
In a Facebook post written in Thai, Ruangsak shared, “Just like the sole survivor of the plane crash in India, I too was seated on seat 11A.” He mentioned that although he no longer has his boarding pass from the 1998 flight, several newspaper reports confirmed his seat number and his miraculous survival.
After the crash, Ruangsak described his life as a “second life.” He has openly spoken about the mental trauma and survivor’s guilt he experienced for years. Reports suggest that he avoided air travel for nearly a decade. Expressing his condolences, he extended sympathy to the families affected by the Air India tragedy.
Seat 11A is located near the emergency exit
Vishal Ramesh, who was seated near an emergency exit, was reportedly thrown out of the aircraft during the crash landing. Despite sustaining multiple injuries, he managed to survive and reach the hospital. In an interview from his hospital bed, he said, “I don’t know how I survived. When I opened my eyes, I unbuckled myself from the seat and tried to run.”