Family members of the lone survivor of the Air India fatal plane crash have spoken out after speaking with him. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, was on the plane seated in 11A, the Hindustan Times reports, and is now in hospital receiving treatment following the crash. He was travelling with his brother, who was also on the flight. Large crowds of relatives and friends are now gathered outside Vishwash’s family home in Leicester waiting for news about 35-year-old Ajay Ramesh.
Brothers Ajay and Viswash are two of four brothers, who were both travelling back home to the UK after a visit to Diu. Nayan Ramesh, 27, is one of the four brothers who remained at home with the rest of his family whilst Viswash and Ajay went on holiday. Nayan told LeicestershireLive: “We don’t have any new updates on Ajay at the moment. We’ve had a video call with Viswash now, but we all just want some news, any news at all, on Ajay.
“Viswash is fine, but he’s not worried about himself at all. He’s just worried about his brother.
“We’ve had a lot of relatives come here to support us and we’re all just waiting for news. They’d both just gone on vacation.”
Just after taking off in Ahmedabad on Thursday, flight 171 exploded in a fire ball after crashing to the ground. 242 people were onboard, including 53 British nationals, and were en route to Gatwick airport.
Air India has now confirmed that Viswash was the only survivor on board Flight 171. It says 229 passengers and 12 crew tragically died.
Shortly after the crash, Vishwash was filmed walking away from the horrific scene. The survivor, who has lived in London for 20 years, shared his experience. He told the Hindustan Times: “Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly.”
Vishwash was in India for a few days to visit family. He has reportedly suffered “impact injuries” on his chest, eyes and feet. “When I got up, there were bodies all around me,” he added.
“I was scared. I stood up and ran. There were pieces of the plane all around me. Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital.”
Moments before the Air India Boeing flight crashed in Ahmedabad, a chilling mayday call from pilots was received, revealing that the aircraft may have been suffering engine failure.