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In the midst of the disaster, only one person was found alive: a 40-year-old British citizen who was visiting India.
According to local media reports, rescuers found his boarding pass among his belongings, which clearly indicated seat 11A. The scene of this passenger staggering toward an ambulance, in shock but alive, spread worldwide.
The story reignited the long-standing debate about whether location within an airplane can influence the odds of survival.
While there is no absolute scientific consensus, some previous studies have suggested that seats near emergency exits or at the rear of the plane might offer a slight advantage in certain situations.
In the case of the Boeing 787, seat 11A is typically located near the front of economy class, relatively close to one of the exits.
This has led some analysts to speculate that this proximity could have been a factor that facilitated his exit from the plane after impact. Although, as in many such cases, chance also seems to have played a crucial role.
The story of 11A went from being an aeronautical curiosity to a symbol of the improbable. The seat criticized for lacking a window, for not offering the best view or the most space, ended up being the place from which a person managed to survive one of the worst recent air tragedies.
Now, what was once a number avoided out of habit will be remembered as the exact spot where life triumphed over fate.
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