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A blanket saved Bharat Rungta

Rifat Jawaid in Calcutta

"A blanket is what pulled me out of the jaws of certain death," says Bharat Rungta, one of the seven survivors of Alliance Air flight CD-7412 that crashed near Patna airport on July 17.

After being discharged from the Patna Medical College and Hospital, Bharat was flown back to Calcutta on Tuesday night. He is currently undergoing treatment at Belvue Nursing Home. He is still in a state of shock.

His family - elder brother Raghu Rungta, a sister and an ageing mother - has barred entry of mediapersons to the ward where specialists are attending to Bharat's burn injuries.

"Do you want my brother to fall into another mental depression by grilling him about the plane crash? He has just begun to recover, both physically as well as mentally and I will not let anyone force him to recount the nightmarish experience. Why do you want to jeopardise the life of my brother?" Raghu reacted when this correspondent requested a brief audience with Bharat.

Raghu, however, agreed to repeat what Bharat had told him about the incident. He received a phone call from Bharat at about 0840 hours IST on July 17 that the plane he had boarded had met with an accident near Patna airport.

"Bharat has this habit of wrapping a blanket around himself while travelling in planes. He complains of cold and shivering. Even on Monday, he did the same before falling asleep," Raghu said.

When he woke up, he found himself on the heap of debris with fire and screams all around. The air was full of black smoke. He managed to get away from the heap of burning debris and mangled corpses without injuring himself. "He went to the PMCH on his own and then managed to telephone us from the hospital," Raghu said.

Preliminary reports have suggested that two of his ribs are broken. He has also suffered a minor injury to his lungs. Besides, his left jaw and a part of his hair are burnt. When he was brought to Belvue, he had also complained of back pain. Doctors attending on him told rediff.com that he was out of danger.

Bharat, an employee of Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India posted in Bombay, was on his way to Patna on official business. His friend Ajay Kapoor, who was accompanying him, succumbed to his injuries.

According to Bharat, both Kapoor and he were admitted to the PMCH together and he had even seen his friend alive with severe burn injuries. But moments later, the hospital staff informed him of Kapoor's death.

Kapoor's premature demise, almost before his own eyes, has shocked Bharat. He keeps inquiring about whether Kapoor has been cremated. Raghu said that soon after coming back to Calcutta, Bharat wanted to witness Kapoor's last rites. He was saddened when told he couldn't do so.

Bharat's family members were critical about AA officials' 'non-co-operation'. "Till Tuesday night, when he was flown back to Calcutta, none from AA chose to contact us to inform whether my brother was alive or not. We got information about him through the media. Surprisingly, things changed after my brother was admitted to the nursing home in Calcutta. Since Wednesday night, airlines officials have been calling us every half an hour to inquire about his health," said Raghu.

On Wednesday evening, Bharat's ailing mother was taken to the hospital on a wheelchair to meet him. Waiting mediapersons' attempts to elicit some comment from the old lady were foiled by Raghu and his friends.

See full coverage of the Alliance Air crash

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