Air India plane crash survivor: ‘I’m the luckiest man alive’

The sole survivor of the Air India plane crash that killed 241 people on board has said he feels like the “luckiest person” alive but is also suffering physically and mentally.

Vishvashkumar Ramesh walked away from the wreckage of the London-bound flight in Ahmedabad in incredible scenes that stunned the world.

He said it was a “miracle” that he escaped but told how he had lost everything as his younger brother Ajay was several seats further down the flight and died in the crash in June.

Since returning to his home in Leicester, Mr Ramesh has struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), his advisers said, and has been unable to speak to his wife and four-year-old son.

Flames engulfed a Boeing 787 flight as it crashed shortly after takeoff in western India.

Shocking video shared at the time showed Mr Ramesh walking away from the aftermath with what appeared to be superficial injuries as smoke billowed in the background.

Speaking to BBC News, an emotional Mr Ramesh, whose first language is Gujarati, said: “I’m just one survivor. I still don’t believe it. It’s a miracle.

“I also lost my brother. My brother is my backbone. In the last few years, he has always supported me.”

He described the devastating impact the ordeal had on his family life.

“I am alone now. I just sit alone in my room, not talking to my wife, my son. I just like to be alone in my house,” said Mr. Ramesh.

he speaks from his hospital bed in India at the time, describing how he managed to unbuckle himself and crawl out of the wreckage and met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi while receiving treatment for his injuries.

Of the passengers and crew who died, 169 were Indian nationals and 52 were British, while another 19 were killed on the ground.

A preliminary report the crash, released by the Air Accidents Investigation Bureau of India in July, said the fuel supply to the engines was cut off just seconds after takeoff. Meanwhile, the investigation continues and the airline said the care of Mr Ramesh and all the families affected by the tragedy “remains our absolute priority”.

It is the first time the 39-year-old has spoken to the media since returning to the UK. A documentary crew was also filming in the room.

The BBC had detailed discussions with his advisers about his duty of care before the interview.

Asked what his memories were of the day of the crash, he said: “I can’t say anything about it now.”

Flanked by local community leader Sanjiv Patel and spokesman Rad Sager, Mr Ramesh said it was too painful to recall the events of the disaster and broke down during parts of an interview at Mr Patel’s home in Leicester.

Mr. Ramesh described the suffering he and his family are going through now.

“For me after this incident… very difficult.

“Physically, mentally, also my family, mentally… my mother for the last four months, she sits every day in front of the door, not talking, nothing.

“I don’t talk to anyone else. I don’t like to talk to anyone else.

“I can’t talk much. All night I think, I suffer mentally.

Every day is painful for the whole family.

Mr. Ramesh also spoke about the physical injuries he sustained in the crash that saw him escaped from its seat – 11A – through an opening in the fuselage.

He says he has been experiencing leg, shoulder, knee and back pain and has been unable to work or drive since the tragedy.

“When I walk, I don’t walk properly, slowly, slowly, my wife helps me,” he added.

Mr. Ramesh was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder while being treated at a hospital in India, but has not received any medical treatment since returning home, his advisers said.

They described him as lost and devastated, with a long road to recovery, and demanded a meeting with Air India executives, claiming he had been mistreated by the airline since the crash.

“They are in crisis, mental, physical, financial,” Mr. Patel said.

“It ruined his family.

“Whoever is responsible at the highest level needs to be on the ground to meet the victims of this tragic event and understand their needs and be heard.”

Air India offered Mr Ramesh interim compensation of £21,500, which was accepted, but his advisers say it is not enough to meet his immediate needs.

The family fishing business in Diu, India, which Mr Ramesh ran with his brother before the crash, has since collapsed, his advisers said.

Family spokesman Mr Sager said they had invited Air India to a meeting three times and all three had been “ignored or refused”.

The media interviews were the team’s way of reissuing that complaint for the fourth time, he said.

Mr Sager added: “It is appalling that we have to sit here today and put him (Vishvashkumar) through this.

“The people who should be sitting here today are the executives of Air India, the people responsible for trying to fix things.

“Please come and sit with us so we can work together to try to alleviate some of this suffering.”

In a statement, the airline, which is owned by the Tata Group, said senior executives from the parent company continued to visit the families to express their deepest condolences.

“A proposal has been made to Mr. Ramesh’s representatives to arrange such a meeting, we will continue to be in touch and very much hope for a positive response,” the statement said.

The airline told the BBC that this offer was made before media interviews with Mr Ramesh.