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

The sole survivor of the Air India plane crash that killed 241 people said he felt like the “luckiest man” alive but was also suffering physically and mentally.

Viswashkumar Ramesh walked away from the wreckage of the London-bound plane in Ahmedabad in extraordinary scenes that stunned the world.

He said it was a “miracle” that he escaped but described how he lost everything because his younger brother Ajay was a few seats away on the plane and died in the crash in June.

His advisers said Ramesh had been struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) since returning home to Leicester and had been unable to speak to his wife and four-year-old son.

A Boeing 787 plane crashed shortly after takeoff in Western India and burst into flames.

Shocking video shared at the time showed Mr Ramesh walking away from the incident with seemingly superficial injuries as smoke billowed in the background.

Speaking to BBC News, an emotional Mr Ramesh, a native Gujarati speaker, said: “I’m the only survivor. I still don’t believe it. It’s a miracle.”

“I lost my brother too. My brother is my backbone. He was always supporting me for the last few years.”

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

“I am alone now. I just sit alone in my room, I don’t talk to my wife and son. I just like being alone in my house,” said Mr. Ramesh.

HE He spoke from his hospital bed in India He describes how he then untied himself and managed to crawl out of the rubble, and how he met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi while he was being treated for his injuries.

Of the passengers and crew killed, 169 were Indian citizens, 52 were British, and 19 were killed on the ground.

A. preliminary report In the report on the accident published by the Indian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau in July, it was stated that the fuel supply to the engines was cut off just a few seconds after takeoff. Meanwhile, the investigation continues and the airline said care for Mr Ramesh and all families affected by the tragedy “remains our absolute priority”.

The 39-year-old is speaking to the media for the first time since returning to England. A documentary crew was also filming in the room.

The BBC held detailed discussions with its advisers about the duty of care before the interview.

When asked about his memories of the day of the accident, he said: “I can’t say anything about it right now.”

Mr Ramesh, flanked by local community leader Sanjiv Patel and his spokesman Radd Seiger, said remembering the events of the disaster was so painful that he broke down at parts of an interview at Mr Patel’s home in Leicester.

Mr. Ramesh described the pain he and his family are currently going through.

“It’s very difficult for me after this accident.

“Physically, mentally, my family too, mentally… my mother has been sitting in front of the door every day for the last four months, not talking, not doing anything.

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

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

“Every day is painful for the whole family.”

Mr. Ramesh also talked about the physical injuries he suffered in the accident. escaped from seat 11A through an opening in the fuselage.

He said he has pain in his leg, shoulder, knee and back and has not been able to work or drive since the tragedy.

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

Mr. Ramesh was diagnosed with PTSD while being treated in hospital in India, but had not received any medical treatment since returning home, his counselors said.

They described him as lost and broken, with a long journey of recovery ahead of him, and demanded a meeting with Air India’s executives, claiming he had been mistreated by the airline since the crash.

“They are in crisis mentally, physically and financially,” Mr Patel said.

“He devastated his family.

“Whoever is responsible at the highest level should meet the victims of this tragic incident on the ground, understand their needs and make their voices heard.”

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

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

Mr Seiger, the family’s spokesman, said they had invited Air India to meetings three times and all three were “ignored or rejected”.

He said the media interviews were the team’s way of rebroadcasting the call for the fourth time.

Mr. Seiger added: “We have to sit here today and [Viswashkumar] through this.

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

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

The airline, which is owned by Tata Group, said in a statement that senior leaders of the parent company continue to visit the families to express their deepest condolences.

“A proposal has been made to Mr. Ramesh’s representatives to hold such a meeting, we will continue to reach out to them and are very hopeful of receiving a positive response,” he said.

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