'Mystic' meaning behind miracle of 11A: Air India's sole survivor travelled in a seat with an 'angel number'
People are convinced that the sole survivor of the Air India plane crash - in what has been described as a miraculous event - was protected by his 'auspicious' seat number.
Viswash Ajaykumar, 40, was seated in 11A by the exit while his brother Ajaykumar, 35, in 11J, seated on the other side of the aisle, lost his life along with 240 of the other passengers aboard flight AI171.
The tragedy has shaken the world, as the pair's younger sibling Nayankumar Ramesh, 27, told MailOnline: 'He said his plane had crashed and he couldn't find anyone, we couldn't believe it. There was blood running down his face.
'You can see in the picture (in the Indian Press taken in hospital) that he has been injured. We're flying out there tomorrow.'
And reacting to the devastating accident, social media users have been struck by the eerie fact that Viswash's seat number, 11A, could be interpreted as a popular 'angel number', 111, with A being the first letter of the alphabet.
Angel numbers are a form of numerology that ascribes divine meaning to certain digits or sequences.
The practice was popularised by mystics in the mid-1990s and has several celebrity devotees, including Kylie Jenner and Kristin Cavallari.
And one of the most famous digits is 111 - which has branded the tattoos and necklaces of several believers, among whom are A-listers and Hollywood stars.
'What is so absolutely special about angel number 111 is the fact that it combines angel number 1 with the master number 11. Angel number 111 is centered around manifesting and manifestation,' blogger Tiny Rituals explained.
'It can also come laced with themes of abundance and protection.'
A 'master number' is created when double digits are repeated, in what signifies a 'powerful' message.
'In numerology, the number 11 is never broken down like other numbers but is left as a double digit. It represents spiritual enlightenment and illumination, drawing your attention up to a higher power,' spiritual site Astrala added.
'When 11 is multiplied by itself, as in 11x11, it comes to 121. This number has a very powerful meaning in numerology regarding the joy that comes with connecting with your higher self.
'Together as a set of three 1's, the number 111 is a concentration of pure potential ready to be manifested into something tangible.'
Many have noted the haunting coincidence on social media.
'The number 11 is not just any number, it's considered a master number and angel number,' one penned.
Many have noted the haunting coincidence on social media. Pictured, reactions to the tragedy on social media
A second wrote: 'As per numerology, 11 is an auspicious number... May the souls of the rest of the passengers who lost their lives rest in peace.'
'11 is the luckiest number, only 11A survived the crash today,' another added.
One commenter also remarked on the 'incredible' survival.
However, asked how the family are wrestling with the tragedy of one brother surviving and the loss of the other, Nayankumar gestured to his sobbing mother, Manibai Ramesh, behind him.
'That's your answer', the brother said. 'We're just baffled, baffled.
'It's a miracle at least one of them survived.'
Nayan said his older siblings were in India on a business trip concerning their family business. Viswash was formerly the sole director of textile company RMV Fashion, which closed down in 2022.
The brothers' cousin Ajay Valgi, from Leicester, told how Viswash called his family to say he was 'fine' after fleeing the burning aircraft.
But while they miraculously heard from one brother, younger sibling Ajaykumar was tragically never in touch.
Cousin Ajay told the BBC: 'I'm feeling absolutely upset. He's not just my cousin, he's also one of my best friends as well.
'They were sitting next to each other, but we don't know what happened to [Ajay].
'We're not doing well. We're all upset,' he added.
Astonishing footage showed Viswash with visible injuries hobbling away from the scene of the crash. He reportedly sustained injuries to his chest, eyes and feet.
Police found the passenger in a residential area in Gujarat, and transferred him to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Speaking to local media from his hospital bed, Viswash said his brother had been sitting on a nearby row, adding: 'I can't find him anymore.'
'Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly,' he added.
'When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran.
'There were pieces of the plane all around me. Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital.'
Police said Viswash had 'managed to escape by jumping out the emergency door'.
A hospital medic reportedly claimed the survivor told him how the jet had suddenly split in half, throwing him out before a huge explosion.
Another added: 'He told us he had been on the plane that crashed, but no one believed him at first.'
Brother Nayan said his brother was in disbelief at how he got out alive, saying on the phone: 'I have no idea how I survived or exited the plane.'
'When he was on the runway, my dad called him. And Viswash said, "oh, we're going to take off soon",' he said.
'And then literally like two minutes later, he video called my dad as he crashed.
'He said, "our plane's crashed, I don't know where my brother is. I don't see any other passengers. I don't know how I'm alive, how I exited the plane".
'All he was worried about on the phone was telling us "find Ajay, you must find Ajay",' Nayan added.
Viswash, who lives in London with his wife and child, was travelling home when the plane crashed, hitting buildings housing doctors in the city of Ahmedabad.
On the ground, police said they had found another survivor in the hospital struck by the plane. The confirmed death toll has climbed to at least 260 people, according to police.
Before the discovery of the British survivor, authorities said that they believed no one had escaped the flight alive.
There were 53 British nationals on board as well as 159 Indian nationals, seven Portuguese citizens and a Canadian. Eleven of those on board were children, including two newborns.
The plane's captain Sumeet Sabharwal, who had 8,200 hours of flying experience, desperately cried 'Mayday…no thrust, losing power, unable to lift' before the aircraft went down and hit a residential property.
Footage appears to show Captain Sabharwal and his co-pilot Clive Kundar hopelessly trying to nudge up the nose of their sinking aircraft moments before the devastating impact.
Aviation experts said the Boeing 787 Dreamliner may have suddenly lost power 'at the most critical phase of flight' after takeoff.
The possible causes are believed to include a rapid change in wind or a bird strike leading to a double engine stall.
Officials from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau were at the scene to carry out an analysis of the wreckage and retrieve the stricken jet's black box.
Videos shared on social media showed the plane rapidly losing altitude - with its nose up - before it hit a building and erupted in a violent explosion.
Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik confirmed that one passenger somehow survived the crash.
'The police found one survivor in seat 11A. He has been taken to the hospital and is currently receiving treatment,' he told news agency ANI.
'As for the number of casualties, it's too early to confirm. The crash occurred in a residential area, so the death toll may rise.'
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the scenes from the crash were 'devastating', in a statement addressing passengers and their families 'at this deeply distressing time'.
The UK government said it was sending a team to support the investigation.
Boeing said it was 'working to gather more information' on the incident which a source close to the case said was the first crash for a 787 Dreamliner.
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