“Every Day Is Painful”: Sole Air India Crash Survivor Speaks Of Life After Miracle Escape
Vishwas Kumar Ramesh says surviving the AI-171 disaster feels like both a blessing and a lifelong burden.
By Orlin Milinov
Ahmedabad:
For 40-year-old Vishwas Kumar Ramesh, survival came at an unimaginable cost. The only person to walk away alive from the Air India Flight AI-171 crash that killed 241 passengers and 19 people on the ground, Ramesh says every day since has been an ordeal of grief, trauma, and isolation.
The London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner plummeted seconds after taking off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12, crashing into a hostel building belonging to BJ Medical College. Of all 241 souls on board, only Ramesh — seated in 11A, next to an emergency exit — survived. His younger brother Ajay, seated just a few rows away, perished in the inferno.
“I’m the only survivor. Still, I don’t believe it. It’s a miracle,”
— Vishwas Kumar Ramesh, speaking to BBC
Investigators from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) found that the fuel supply to both engines had been cut off seconds after take-off, causing an immediate power loss. Witnesses described a deafening explosion and a massive fireball as the aircraft struck the college hostel’s southern wing.
Footage from the crash site showed a dazed Ramesh staggering away from the smoking debris, covered in soot and blood.
From his hospital bed at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, where he was placed under round-the-clock care, Ramesh received a visit from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who called his survival “a miracle amid tragedy.” Ramesh later told reporters, “I told him I don’t know how I lived. It all happened so fast.”
He was discharged on June 17, the same day his brother’s remains were returned to the family following DNA confirmation.
Haunted By Loss
Back home in Leicester, England, Ramesh says the weight of survival has become unbearable.
“Now I’m alone. I just sit in my room alone, not talking with my wife or my son. I just like to be alone in my house,” he told the BBC.
His mother, he said, has not spoken much since losing her younger son. “Every day is painful for the whole family,” he added.
Doctors have diagnosed Ramesh with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He continues to suffer from both physical pain and mental anguish. “When I walk, I walk slowly. My wife helps me,” he said. His cousin confirmed that Ramesh frequently wakes up screaming at night and is undergoing psychiatric care.
Compensation And Ongoing Grief
Air India, now under Tata Group ownership, has issued interim compensation of £21,500 (₹22 lakh), which Ramesh has accepted. His legal advisers, however, insist that the amount is “grossly inadequate” given the scale of trauma and negligence alleged in the investigation.
As he continues treatment, Ramesh says he struggles to find meaning in his survival. “Every day is painful. Every breath reminds me of what I lost,” he said quietly.
