Crash survivor ran with passport to get arrival stamp,AI may hire him

A bewildered immigration official looked at D’Souza and asked him which flight he had come on — by then news of the crash had spread like wildfire.

D’Souza told him he was on the plane that had just gone down. The official was speechless.

Crash survivor rushed to get arrival entry stamped on passport,AI wants to hire him and asked for a stamp on his passport,” said his relative Santhosh Sequeira.

The formality done,he returned to the crash site and joined the rescue effort. Officials conducting search and rescue operations admitted that D’Souza was instrumental in providing crucial information to the ground staff.

On being told about this extraordinary tale,Air India CMD Arvind Jadhav was so impressed that he made special mention of D’Souza at a press conference,commending his strength of character.

Jadhav told The Indian Express that he had decided to offer the young man a job in Air India. “In adverse circumstances,D’Souza displayed presence of mind. Such an employee is an asset to any organisation. I need such people at Air India,” Jadhav said. “I have to go through his profile and find him an appropriate job in this organisation.”

For D’Souza,this may be the answer to his prayers. If he lands a job here,he can stay back in the country,closer to his family. He had gone to Dubai for job interviews and,having been made an offer,was on his way home to collect documents when the plane went down.

In the final moments of Flight IX 812,D’Souza was the first to jump out — through a window that burst open. As luck would have it,he was seated close to the section that ripped open. His parents,Rosy and Joseph,who had come to receive him at the airport,could hardly believe their eyes when they saw him emerge with minor injuries on the elbows,legs,neck and back.