The sole survivor of June’s Air India crash has spoken to British media about the emotional and physical torment he has endured since the deadly accident in Ahmedabad, India.
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh described the months following the crash—which killed 241 passengers aboard the London-bound flight and 19 people on the ground—as “very difficult”.
Ramesh, a 39-year-old British citizen from Leicester, miraculously escaped the wreckage but lost his brother, Ajay, whom he described as “my strength” and “my everything.”
Speaking to the Press Association, he said: “God gave me life but took away all my happiness and my family. It has completely broken us.”
The Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on 12 June, slamming into a medical college. A preliminary report from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau found that fuel supply to the jet’s engines was cut off moments before impact but did not assign blame.
Last month, the father of one of the pilots petitioned India’s Supreme Court for an independent inquiry, claiming the official investigation unfairly blamed the crew.
In interviews with British broadcasters, Ramesh admitted he struggles to speak about the tragedy. “I get flashbacks all the time,” he said. “I barely sleep—just three or four hours a night.”
He told the BBC he continues to suffer pain in his leg, shoulder, knee, and back, and has been unable to work or drive since the crash. “When I walk, I can’t do it properly—slowly, slowly—my wife helps me,” he said.
His advisers revealed that Ramesh was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder while being treated in India but has not received any medical care since returning to the UK.