Lone Air India crash survivor opens up, shares heartbreaking struggle after escape- ‘Every day is painful, now I’m alone’ News24 –

The 39-year-old survivor of the Air India (AI-171) plane crash, Vishwashkumar Ramesh, has opened up four and a half months after the June 12 tragedy, which killed 241 people on board. Ramesh, who walked away from the burning wreckage of the London-bound flight in Ahmedabad, feels like the ‘luckiest man’ alive. He, however, remains deeply traumatized, physically injured, and mentally strained.

Ramesh Battles PTSD

Ramesh, who was seated in 11A next to the emergency exit, moved to the UK on September 15 after a brief treatment in India. His advisers said that since returning home to Leicester, he had battled post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and hadn’t spoken to his wife and son. His younger brother, Ajaykumar, was killed after flames engulfed the Boeing 787 flight when it went down minutes after take-off.

‘It’s A Miracle,’ Says Lone Survivor Ramesh

Speaking to the BBC, an emotional Ramesh, whose mother tongue is Gujarati, said, “I’m the only survivor. Still, I’m not believing. It’s a miracle.” Shocking video shared at the time showed him emerging from the crash site with seemingly superficial injuries. Describing the horrific ordeal’s impact on his life, he said, “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.”

Struggle After Miraculous Escape

Ramesh now struggles to walk, is unable to drive, and mostly stays at home in Leicester. “Mentally, I have completely broken down,” he said. His family’s fishing business in Diu has fallen apart, cutting off income. Air India’s interim compensation of £21,500 (Rs 25 lakh) is also not adequate to meet UK living costs as well as his ongoing medical needs.

Describing the anguish he and his family are now going through, Ramesh told the BBC, “For me, after this accident… very difficult. 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 do not like to talk with 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.”

Community leader Sanjiv Patel and crisis adviser Radd Seiger, assisting Ramesh and his family, say both Air India and the UK authorities have not provided adequate, timely support. “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 down with us so that we can work through this together to try and alleviate some of this suffering,” Seiger said.

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