Air India plane crash survivor ‘sits alone in room’ and doesn’t talk to wife

The sole survivor of the ill-fated Air India flight that claimed 241 lives has said he still cannot comprehend how he survived. Vishwaskumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British man, was sitting in seat 11A on the London-bound Boeing 787 from Ahmedabad and managed to walk away from the wreckage when Air India Flight 171 crashed just 32 seconds after takeoff on June 12, 2025. All 12 crew members and the 229 other passengers aboard died, as well as 19 people on the ground. There were 67 others who were seriously injured.

“I’m only one survivor. Still, I’m not believing. It’s a miracle,” Ramesh said in an interview with the BBC, in which he has opened up about his painful journey since the tragedy, which saw the death of his own brother, Ajay, and left him with multiple minor injuries, including facial cuts and burns to his left hand. He now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Initially, it was thought that no one had survived the crash, but suddenly, Ramesh was seen stumbling away from the smoking wreckage while flames engulfed the aircraft. He later said the section of the aircraft where he was seated detached and came to rest on the ground of the hostel that it crashed into, and that he escaped through an opening created when the emergency exit broke open.

Five months on from the crash, Ramesh is still struggling to get his life back to normal. He and his wife live in Leicester with their four-year-old son, Divang.

“I lost my brother as well. My brother is my backbone. Last few years, he was always supporting me,” the BBC reported.

Since returning home, Ramesh’s adviser and spokesperson, Radd Seiger, said he has been unable to speak to his wife or son. He also still suffers from pain in his leg, shoulder, knee and back, and requires help from his wife to walk.

“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 said.

“I can’t talk about much. I’m thinking all night, I’m suffering mentally. Every day is painful for the whole family,” he added.

From the hospital bed just after the accident, Ramesh had told DD India that there were bodies “all around” him when he stood up after the aircraft crashed.

Leicester community leader Sanjiv Patel and Mr Seiger said Air India has offered Ramesh an interim payment of £21,500 – a one-off sum given to a claimant before the end of a personal injury claim. However, Mr Seiger said the amount “doesn’t even touch the sides” when compared to everything Ramesh needs while he is unable to work or leave the house.

Ramesh and his brother had used “all their savings” to set up a fishing business in India, which saw them frequently flying there together from the UK. The business has taken a massive hit since the crash and the extended family in both the UK and India have no income, according to Mr Patel.

An Air India spokesperson has acknowledged that the company is aware of its responsibility to provide Ramesh with the necessary support.

“We are deeply conscious of our responsibility to provide Mr Ramesh with support through what must have been an unimaginable period,” they said. “Care for him – and indeed all families affected by the tragedy – remains our absolute priority”.

“Senior leaders from across Tata Group continue to visit families to express their deepest condolences. An offer has been made to Mr Ramesh’s representatives to arrange such a meeting, we will continue to reach out and we very much hope to receive a positive response,” the spokesperson added.

Investigations into the tragedy continue, with the preliminary report, published by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) in July, stating that fuel supply to the engines was cut off just seconds after takeoff.