Three months after the devastating Air India crash, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, the only British survivor, has yet to return home to his wife and young son in the UK.
While the rest of the world has moved on, Ramesh continues to confront the immense personal trauma and loss he experienced in the catastrophe.
The Flight That Changed Everything
Ramesh, 40, from Leicester, was on the Boeing 787 flight from Ahmedabad to London when disaster struck on June 12.
The plane crashed just minutes after takeoff, killing 241 passengers and 29 people on the ground. Ramesh, sitting in seat 11A, survived with only facial cuts and some chest injuries.
Yet the physical scars are far from the only wounds he carries.
A Brother Lost
The most haunting loss for Ramesh is his brother Ajay, who was sitting just across the aisle.
His wife revealed to The Times that Ramesh remains in India for ongoing treatment and is devastated by Ajay’s death. “Everything happened in front of him, and the main thing is he lost his brother,” she said.
“He’s not talking to anyone in the media, even in India.”
Dubbed the “miracle man” and a “symbol of hope” by Indian media, Ramesh has admitted feeling tormented by survivor’s guilt, constantly questioning why he survived while his brother did not.
Haunted by What Could Have Been
Before the flight, Ramesh had attempted to book two seats together for himself and Ajay, but was forced to sit apart.
Speaking to The Sun at the time, he said, “If we had been sat together, we both might have survived… I lost my brother in front of my eyes.
So now I am constantly thinking, ‘Why can’t I save my brother?’”
Following the crash, Ramesh carried Ajay’s coffin at a ceremony in Gujarat.
Overcome with grief, he had to be helped away while visibly in anguish.
Courage Amid Catastrophe
Sitting next to an emergency exit, Ramesh managed to crawl through a hole in the fuselage, narrowly escaping the inferno.
MailOnline obtained footage showing him attempting to return to the wreckage in a desperate effort to save Ajay.
He pleaded with a first responder, “My family member is in there, my brother, and he’s burning to death. I have to save him.”
Emergency worker Satinder Singh Sandhu recounted guiding a disoriented and shocked Ramesh to a waiting ambulance, unaware that he was a passenger.
Ramesh told paramedics he had been flying to London when the plane fell and expressed his urgent wish to save his family.
Trauma and Nightmares
Ramesh has shared that he is plagued by nightmares and sleepless nights, haunted by visions of the crash and the death of those around him.
“I thought I would die. Everything happened in front of my eyes,” he said shortly after the tragedy.
Compensation and Continued Struggles
The crash claimed the lives of 52 British nationals, and most families have received compensation from Air India totaling around £21,500.
Ramesh may also be entitled to claim for physical injuries and psychological trauma resulting from the incident.
Families Demand Accountability
The tragedy’s impact extends beyond immediate grief.
Two British families, who received “other remains” in the caskets of their loved ones, wrote an open letter to Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, demanding action from Indian authorities.
They highlighted serious mishandling and mislabelling of remains and called for accountability and transparency.
They said, “We are not asking for sympathy but are asking for accountability, responsibility, and action.
The silence and indifference we have faced are further traumatising and have added to our grief and sorrow.”
A Survivor Still Searching for Peace
As Ramesh continues treatment in India, his journey of survival is intertwined with deep personal loss and lingering trauma.
The road ahead remains uncertain, but his resilience and courage amidst unimaginable tragedy continue to capture global attention.