Air India survivor: Sole survivor from Leicester says he is 'broken' and death of brother 'took all my happiness' - what caused the crash, what was his seat number?
A British man, the sole survivor of a devastating Air India plane crash that claimed 241 lives, has described he is “broken” after the incident.
He has described his survival as a “miracle” but revealed that the death of his brother in the same crash “took all my happiness”. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 39, from Leicester, spoke nearly four months after the tragedy in Ahmedabad, India.
He said that the incident has left him with constant flashbacks. The loss of his brother, Ajay, means his family has “lost everything”, he said.
Mr Ramesh finds discussing the crash “very painful”, with advisers noting he has yet to speak about the ordeal with his immediate family. The London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed into a medical college shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad airport on 12 June, killing everyone on board other than Mr Ramesh.
Mr Ramesh escaped his seat - 11A - through an opening in the fuselage. He says he suffers pain in his leg, shoulder, knee and back, and has not been able to work or drive since the tragedy.
Some 169 Indian passengers and 52 British nationals died. In terms of British fatalities, it was one of the deadliest plane crashes on record.
Another 19 people on the ground also died, and 67 were seriously injured. Mr Ramesh’s advisers, Sanjiv Patel and Radd Seiger, have now criticised the care he has received since the crash, saying he has been treated like a “name on a spreadsheet”.
They have appealed to the airline’s chief executive, Campbell Wilson, to meet with them so he can hear about Mr Ramesh’s current situation – claiming he has “ignored repeated written requests”. Air India said in a statement that an offer of a meeting with senior leaders from the airline’s parent company, Tata Group, has been made, and said care for the families of the crash victims, including Mr Ramesh, “remains our absolute priority”.
It is understood that an interim payment has been accepted and transferred to Mr Ramesh. In a statement, the airline, which is owned by Tata Group, said senior leaders from the parent company continue to visit families to express their deepest condolences. "An offer has been made to Mr Ramesh's representatives to arrange such a meeting, we will continue to reach out and we very much hope to receive a positive response," it told the BBC.
A preliminary report into the incident from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau found both of the plane’s fuel switches moved to the “cut-off” position “immediately” after take-off, stopping fuel supply to the engine. It has sparked questions over whether the crash was deliberate. Mr Ramesh said the incident, and losing his brother, has “completely brought down my family”.
He said: “I can’t explain about my brother. I lost everything – my happiness. God gave me life but took all my happiness, and from my family. It completely brought down my family … it’s very difficult for me and my family.”
He added: “I get flashbacks all the time, I just stay awake, I sleep maybe three to four hours. Yes, it’s a miracle I survived, but I lost everything, I lost my brother, I’m broken.”
On his brother, Mr Ramesh’s statement continued: “We were all happy, enjoying [life]. My brother was my strength; he was my everything. And now? We’re broken, I don’t feel like talking to anyone.”