Latest news with #VishwashRamesh
News18
2 days ago
- News18
Beyond The Rubble: A Week Since Ahmedabad Tragedy, Flames Fade But Grief Lingers
Last Updated: Finding the mortal remains may give grieving families some closure but the stench of death might never leave the entire community of victims, survivors and responders A week can be a long time in public memory. A week since the Ahmedabad air crash, the headlines are slowly moving on. Survivor Vishwash Ramesh has been discharged from hospital, the black box has been recovered, and investigators have some crucial leads. What is stuck, however, especially in the minds of first responders, are images of charred remains, body parts falling apart and the smell. The acrid smell was unfamiliar. It hung heavy in the air as my video journalist and I made sense of the black all around us. The sooty walls, the black fibre-like debris all around, the darkness of the night. Almost five hours had passed since AI 171 crashed at the hostel compound of BJ Medical College. But the smell of 1.25 lakh litre of burnt aviation fuel was overpowering. As I made my way through the debris, a broken emergency door, a huge wing of the aircraft lying on the main road were the only things that had a familiar shape. A sharp metal object slashed through the leather of my footwear. Rescue and relief agencies, civic volunteers, NGO workers—most with bare hands and without masks—had toiled through this for many hours to look for any sign of life. A few steps away, the smell turned into stench as I made my way up to the boys' hostel mess. Suitcases, trolley bags, hand luggage were all dumped at the ground floor of the mess just behind a small shrine with some pictures of Hindu deities. A deflated football stood out, bearing testimony to young lives cut short. The dark, unstable stairs took us to the first floor. A huge cylinder was lying across the entrance path. We learnt later from the CISF men who had reached the spot in less than 10 minutes that this is where Ramesh had landed miraculously, unbuckled himself and walked to safety. These men from CISF had just finished duty at the Ahmedabad airport when messages on their WhatsApp group made them rush, even as police and fire teams scrambled. 'I tried pulling out one person…but only his hand came out," a CISF personnel told me with a straight face. They had toiled non-stop for hours along with other responders. Had they been numbed, I wondered, as I saw three days later the teams of NDRF, SFDRF, NSG and police cut through the metal at the tail end of the crashed craft to bring out a bloated body. The men went about their job without batting an eyelid even as the body—bloated and disfigured—was brought down. The uniform scraps revealed it was an air hostess. The men and women at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital were not this hardened though. The DNA room at Kasturi Bhawan had a horror story in every corner. A would-be grandmother traveling to London to welcome her soon-to-be-born grandchild, a family from Udaipur excited to start a new life, a group of three undergraduate medical students having lunch together—all stories cut short. Outside the post-mortem room, the stench was unbearable. But Akash Patni 's family appeared numb to it. Father Suresh Bhai Patni had seen the charred bodies and clicked a picture that he thought was that of his 15-year-old. As he showed it on his phone, my VJ and I both winced. But Suresh Bhai seemed immune till I asked him if his wife knew about their dead son. Suresh Bhai's eyes welled up. 'How can I tell her? She will die," he wept. Akash had gone to deliver lunch to his mother at their mobile tea stall near BJMC hostel. The wing of the aircraft fell on him. His mother—Sita Ben—can be seen in a now-viral video, running towards the crash site, seeking help, and screaming. She suffered 50 per cent burns but couldn't save Akash. Sitting a few steps away from the Patni family, on the pavement opposite the post-mortem room, was Pralhad Bhai. His wife Sarla Ben and two-year-old granddaughter Aadya were missing. Sarla Ben was cooking for the doctors at the mess while Aadya slept next to her. Pralhad Bhai had run from pillar to post all night looking for them. He had finally come to the DNA room, resigned to fate. The stories are endless. Finding the mortal remains might give these grieving families some closure. But the stench of death might never leave the entire community of victims, survivors and even the responders. First Published:
The Independent
2 days ago
- General
- The Independent
It is a miracle, says lone survivor of Air India plane crash
The British survivor of the Air India plane crash has said it is a 'miracle' he survived but added he feels 'terrible' he could not save his brother. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh told The Sun: 'It's a miracle I survived. I am OK physically but I feel terrible that I could not save Ajay.' The Air India aircraft struck a medical college hostel in a residential part of Ahmedabad last week, killing 241 of the 242 people on board, 52 of whom were British. The sole surviving passenger was Mr Ramesh. The 40-year-old told The Sun he tried to get seats together with his brother but was not able to. He said: 'If we had been sat together we both might have survived. 'I tried to get two seats together but someone had already got one. Me and Ajay would have been sitting together. 'But I lost my brother in front of my eyes. So now I am constantly thinking 'Why can't I save my brother?' Mr Ramesh was in seat 11A, next to one of the aircraft's emergency exits. Last week's crash was one of the deadliest plane accidents in terms of the number of British nationals killed. Investigators are yet to determine the cause of the crash. On Tuesday, an Air India flight on the same route as the plane that crashed last week was cancelled because of 'precautionary checks', the airline said. Air India's website shows the Flight AI159 was initially delayed by one hour and 50 minutes but was later cancelled. A flight from Gatwick to Amritsar, India, was also axed. The cancelled flights were scheduled to be operated by a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which is the same type of aircraft that crashed shortly after take-off at Ahmedabad on June 12.
The Sun
2 days ago
- General
- The Sun
Lone Brit survivor of Air India disaster says he'll be racked with guilt for life after missed chance to move bro's seat
PLANE crash survivor Vishwash Ramesh poses for The Sun as he appears in public for the first time since his incredible escape and declared: 'It's a miracle.' Vishwash, 40, was happy to show how he is recovering from the Air India disaster which killed 279 people. 15 15 15 15 But he revealed he is racked with guilt over the death of his brother Ajay on the flight. He had tried to arrange two seats next to each other in row 11 by the emergency exits. By the time he came to choose seats other passengers were sitting in part of the row so the brothers had to sit separately. Vishwash – in Seat 11A – survived the crash and was able to crawl through a hole in the twisted fuselage of the downed Boeing 787 Dreamliner. But Ajay was on the other side of the aisle in 11J and died along with 240 other passengers and crew. Married dad-of-one Vishwash is now struggling with survivors' guilt and said: 'If we had been sat together we both might have survived. 'I tried to get two seats together but someone had already got one. Me and Ajay would have been sitting together. 'But I lost my brother in front of my eyes. So now I am constantly thinking 'Why can't I save my brother?' 'It's a miracle I survived. I am okay physically but I feel terrible that I could not save Ajay.' Overcome with emotion he told friends: 'I wish I was not alive.' Moment miracle Brit survivor of Air India disaster heads BACK to burning wreck to save brother saying 'I have to save him' Vishwash is recovering in his family's home village of Diu, on the east coast of India, where he ran a two-boat fishing business with brother Ajay after inheriting it from their dad. The fishing industry grinds to a halt when the monsoon season starts in June so Vishwash and Ajay were returning to England. Vishwash was looking forward to being reunited with his wife Hiral and their four-year-old son at their home in Leicester when he and Ajay boarded flight AI 171 around 1pm last Thursday and buckled themselves into their seats on row 11. But moments after take-off he knew there was a problem. 15 15 15 He said: 'It felt like something got stuck and the lights started flickering. 'Everything happened in seconds. I realised we were going down.' The pilot, Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, 55, frantically radioed air traffic control to yell: 'No thrust… May Day…May Day.' Vishwash went on: 'The aircraft wasn't gaining altitude and was just gliding. 'After that, the plane seemed to speed up, before it suddenly slammed into a building and exploded. "Everything was visible in front of my eyes when the crash happened. "I too thought that I was about to die, but then I opened my eyes and realised that I was still alive.' He unbuckled his seat belt and with everyone around him dead or dying he managed to crawl through an opening in the mangled fuselage. He added: 'Where I landed was closer to the ground and there was space too - and when my door broke - I saw that there was space. I saw an opening. I used my leg to push through that opening, and crawled out. 'Everyone around me was either dead or dying. I still don't understand how I escaped." 15 15 15 He staggered out of the compound of a medical college as a huge fireball engulfed a hostel where 100 students and staff were having lunch in a canteen. Stunned locals and rescuers spotted him as he bravely tried to go back into the raging inferno to look for Ajay before paramedics led him to an ambulance. He was rushed to the Civil Hospital less than a mile away where he spent five days recovering during which time he was visited by Indian Prime Minister Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Doctors discharged him on Tuesday and he returned to the family home where his parents Bava and Manibhai are now supporting him along with his wife and child and younger brother Nayan, after flying in from their homes in Leicester. Friends and neighbours in Diu have also been celebrating his incredible escape – but are also grieving. As well as Ajay, another 14 people from the tiny island, a former Portuguese colony, died on the flight. 15 15 Vishwash's childhood friend Bipin Bamania, 52, said: 'He is getting great support from his family and they are obviously delighted he is alive. 'But they are all heartbroken as well over the loss of Ajay. 'I spoke to Vishwash after the crash and he said that he was in pain and needed to rest but he was basically okay. 'I am very happy that he survived but also very sad that his brother died. 'Vishwash spends part of the year here and part of it in England. 15 15 'He runs two fishing boats with his family but the fishing stops when the monsoon comes. 'So then he goes back to England. 'Vishwas is a very good person. He gets along with everyone very well. 'He has no animosity with anyone and when he is here in the village he likes to hang out with his friends. 'He is a great family man, too. He loves his wife and child very much. 'When his son was born he was delighted. During the months he is here in India he rings them twice a day every single day. 'That has always been his routine.' The grim process of identifying victims through DNA and dental records was continuing yesterday with 202now positively identified. A total of 157 bodies have been handed to families for funerals. A welcome from the world's luckiest man By Robin Perrie, Chief Foreign Correspondent WITH India's torrential monsoon rains beating down, the luckiest man in the world shuffled onto his veranda. The physical injuries Vishwash Ramesh suffered when flight AI 171 exploded as it crashed seconds after take-off are still visible on his face. But he can't celebrate his miracle escape because of the hidden mental trauma - sitting eight seats away in the same aisle was his younger brother, Ajay, who perished along with everyone else on the flight. And survivors' guilt is weighing so heavily on his shoulders you fear he will never shrug it off. I met Vishwash at the brightly-coloured, three-storeyed family home in the coastal village of Diu where he is now recuperating after five days in hospital. He arrived back there late on Tuesday and within hours was carrying his brother's coffin as the village turned out to mourn his passing. Under doctors' orders, Vishwash returned early from the funeral to rest again at home. Surrounded by grieving family members, he was happy to come out of the house to greet us. As women cooked chapattis on outside fires he posed for pictures before limping back inside, the trauma clearly hanging heavy over him. Friends had already told me how he is a hospitable, amiable man who never has a bad word to say about anyone. That shone through as he made us welcome in his home, but just as evident thanks to his soft handshake was the trauma he has suffered - physical and mental. The luckiest man in the world barely had enough strength left to keep hold of my outstretched hand.
Khaleej Times
2 days ago
- General
- Khaleej Times
Video: Air India plane crash's lone survivor breaks down at brother's funeral
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, the only known survivor of the horrific Air India plane crash on June 12, was travelling from Ahmedabad with his brother Ajay Kumar Ramesh. While Vishwash, who was seated near an emergency exit of the London-bound flight, managed to jump out, his brother was among the 241 passengers that did not survive. Ajay's funeral was held today in Diu, an Indian union territory. Heart-rending videos on social media show Ramesh at the funeral, carrying his brother's remains on his shoulders to the cremation ground. Vishwash is a British national — a native of Diu who is settled in the UK. The brothers had flown down to India to visit their family in Diu. Vishwash, who had sustained burn wounds from the crash, was discharged from the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital late on Tuesday night, and is still recovering from injuries, as seen in the funeral videos. #WATCH | Diu | Lone survivor of AI-171 flight crash, Vishwas Ramesh Kumar, mourns the death of his brother Ajay Ramesh, who was travelling on the same flight Vishwas Ramesh Kumar is a native of Diu and is settled in the UK. — ANI (@ANI) June 18, 2025 'Can't believe how I survived' Speaking from his hospital bed, the 40-year-old had told Indian media that he was travelling to Britain with his brother after visiting family in India. "When I got up, there were bodies all around me. 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," Viswashkumar told the Hindustan Times. Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels. "Everything happened in front of me, and even I couldn't believe how I managed to come out alive from that," Ramesh said from his hospital bed on Friday, speaking in Hindi to national broadcaster DD News. "Within a minute after takeoff, suddenly... it felt like something got stuck... I realised something had happened, and then suddenly the plane's green and white lights turned on," Ramesh said. "After that, the plane seemed to speed up, heading straight towards what turned out to be a hostel of a hospital. Everything was visible in front of my eyes when the crash happened." Ramesh, aged 40, is from the British city of Leicester, according to Britain's Press Association news agency, which spoke with his family at home. "Initially, I too thought that I was about to die, but then I opened my eyes and realised that I was still alive," he said. "I saw the air hostess and aunties and uncles all in front of me," he said, his voice trailing off in emotion, using a term of respect used in India for older people. "I unfastened my seatbelt and tried to escape, and I did," he said. "I think the side I was on was not facing the hostel," he added. "Where I landed was closer to the ground and there was space too – and when my door broke -- I saw that there was space, and I thought I could try to slip out." "My left hand got slightly burnt due to the fire, but an ambulance brought me to the hospital," he said. "The people here are taking good care of me." Seat 11A of the aircraft Social media footage shown on Indian news channels showed Ramesh in a bloodstained white t-shirt and dark pants limping on a street and being helped by a medic. A photo of his boarding pass shown online by the Hindustan Times showed that he was seated in seat 11A of the plane bound for Gatwick Airport. His brother Ajay had been seated in a different row on the plane and asked for help to find him. "He was near the emergency exit and managed to escape by jumping out the emergency door," said Vidhi Chaudhary, a senior police officer in Ahmedabad. On June 12, the Air India aircraft came down in a residential area, crashing onto a medical college hostel outside the airport during lunch hour, in the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. More than 290 people were killed in the crash. The dead included some on the ground.
The Sun
3 days ago
- General
- The Sun
Moment miracle Brit survivor of Air India jet heads BACK to burning wreck to rescue brother saying ‘I have to save him'
THIS is the astonishing moment miracle Brit Vishwash Ramesh rushed back to the burning Air India plane to save his brother. The 40-year-old sole survivor was captured staggering towards the blazing students' hostel - which claimed 38 lives - as black smoke billowed in the sky. 9 9 Footage emerged today shows emergency worker Satinder Singh Sandhu flailing his arms in the air in a desperate attempt to stop the Brit from walking back into the crash site. Dressed in a white t-shirt and trousers, Vishwas is seen eventually wandering over to the emergency worker as flames leapt behind him. Satinder revealed how he pleaded with the dad not to return to the inferno, warning he would died if he did. He recalled shouting as loud as he could to grab the dazed man's attention, then "begging him not to go back in there." Amid panicked crowds, the surviving Brit turned to Satinder and said: "My family member is in there, my brother and he's burning to death. I have to save him." According to the emergency worker, Vishwas was very disoriented, and limping but was still able to speak coherently. He told the Mail Online: "There was also blood on his face, but he was able to speak. He told the paramedics that he was flying to London when the plane fell and that he wanted to go back to save his family." Locals appear rushing around in panic and calling the emergency services when they spotted him. The businessman was taken to the 1,200-bed Civil Hospital less than a mile from Ahmedabad airport where the doomed Air India flight had taken off from before crashing just 33 seconds later. His dad Ramesh has been at his bedside but has been too upset to talk since the tragedy in which he lost his youngest son Ajay. Family friend Deepak Devjil said: 'He is still grappling with the tragedy.' The dad received a special Father's Day gift yesterday when his four-year-old son sent his best wishes. His youngster and wife have travelled to India following the crash and the family will soon be reunited, but Vishwash spoke to his son on the phone yesterday. The story of Vishwash's escape has astounded the world - and left experts speculating over how he cheated death. His brother, Ajaykumar Ramesh, 35, was sitting five seats away and tragically lost his life in the crash. Vishwash was sitting in seat 11A when the plane came down, which is right by the emergency exit. The Brit, whose family is from Leicester, told local media he was able to push open the plane's fuselage and get out before the plane blew up. 9 9 9 But it is currently unclear whether the opening Vishwash "slipped out" of was the emergency door or a rupture in the aircraft's fuselage. Aerospace and aviation professor Graham Braithwaite speculated the lucky Brit may have actually been flung out of the wreckage. He said: "The aircraft was loaded with fuel and it crashed into a heavily populated area. "I can only imagine that he was thrown from the wreckage, and that somehow as it crashed, what it hit managed to absorb some of the impact." He added: "Looking at the scene, I would imagine that the disruption to the aircraft would have been huge. "If anybody could have got out, then they probably could have just gone out in a gap in the fuselage - you'd struggle to infer from this, therefore, that is the seat you must always sit in." Vishwash has relayed his memory of the moment the plane went down, and his account could hold the key to figuring out what went wrong. One detail in particular has peaked the interest of crash investigators. The Brit revealed that the cabin lights began flickering just before the jet sank through the air. He said: "When the flight took off, within five to 10 seconds it felt like it was stuck in the air. "Suddenly, the lights started flickering - green and white. "The aircraft wasn't gaining altitude and was just gliding before it suddenly slammed into a building and exploded." Vishwash's flickering lights revelation came after a passenger who travelled on the plane the day before the crash claimed electrical parts such as the back-of-seat screens weren't working. Aviation experts have speculated that the reports of dodgy electrics could be a sign of a power failure, possibly explaining the crash. 9 9 9
