Sole Survivor of Air India Flight AI-171 Crash Struggles With Physical and Psychological Trauma

"Every Day Is Painful": Lone Air India Crash Survivor After Miracle Escape

The Boeing 787 headed for London crashed moments after departing from Ahmedabad, resulting in 241 fatalities on the aircraft.

Many refer to him as the "luckiest man alive." However, for 40-year-old Vishwas Kumar Ramesh, being the sole survivor of the Air India flight AI-171 disaster that claimed 241 passengers and crew plus 19 people on the ground, survival represents both an extraordinary miracle and a devastating burden.

The London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed just seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12, colliding with a hostel building at BJ Medical College. Among everyone aboard, only Ramesh, who was seated in position 11A near an emergency exit, survived the catastrophe. His younger brother Ajay, seated only a short distance away, perished in the crash.

"I'm the only survivor. Still, I'm not believing. It's a miracle," Ramesh, a British citizen of Indian origin, shared with the BBC. "I lost my brother as well. My brother is my backbone. The last few years, he was always supporting me."

According to initial findings from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), both engines lost fuel supply mere seconds after becoming airborne, resulting in complete power failure.

Witnesses described hearing a loud explosion and seeing a fireball as the Dreamliner crashed into the southern section of the hostel. Video footage from the disaster site showed Ramesh walking away from the wreckage, disoriented and covered in soot, while smoke poured into the sky.

While recovering at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital under constant medical supervision, Ramesh received a visit from Prime Minister Narendra Modi the day after the crash. "I told him I don't know how I lived. It all happened so fast," Ramesh recalled at that time. He was discharged on June 17, the same day his family received his brother's remains following DNA confirmation.

Now back at his home in Leicester, Ramesh is tormented by memories of the tragic event. "Now I'm alone. I just sit in my room alone, not talking with my wife, my son. I just like to be alone in my house," he told the BBC.

"Physically, mentally, also my family as well, mentally...my mum last four months, she is sitting every day outside the door, not talking, nothing. I'm not talking to anyone else. I can't talk about much. I'm thinking all night, I'm suffering mentally. Every day is painful for the whole family."

His advisers have confirmed his diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and he continues to struggle with both physical injuries and psychological trauma. "When I walk, not walk properly, slowly, slowly, my wife helps," he explained. His cousin previously mentioned that he frequently wakes up during the night, adding, "We took him to a psychiatrist."

Air India, currently owned by the Tata Group, has provided an interim compensation of 21,500 UK pounds (approximately Rs 22 lakh), which Ramesh has accepted. However, his advisers maintain that this amount is significantly insufficient.