Vishwash Kumar Ramesh was the only survivor of the Air India plane crash which killed 260 people including his younger brother Ajay
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, the sole survivor of a devastating plane crash that claimed over 260 lives, had one heart-wrenching question for his doctors while in hospital. Vishwash was travelling from India to the UK with his younger brother Ajay, 35, on June 12.
They were travelling on Air India Flight 171 when it left Ahmedabad for London Gatwick on June 12. Less than 40 seconds after take off, the plane plunged into the densely populated area below.
Ajay was among the 229 passengers who died in the crash. Along with 12 crew members and 19 individuals on the ground.
An additional 60 people were reportedly injured. In the aftermath of the disaster, bystanders were shocked when Vishwash emerged from the wreckage.
He was subsequently taken to Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad for treatment. While there, he was interviewed by Kuldeep Tiwari, Assistant Editor at the Ahmedabad Mirror.
In Channel 5’s programme Air India Disaster: The Unanswered Questions, airing tonight, Kuldeep said: “He was looking for something around. He was in so much trauma and stress and he was constantly asking for his brother.”
Dr Rakesh Joshi from the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad added: “The only thing he was asking about is how is my brother. We instructed each and every one not to say he is the lone survivor, the whole world knows, except for Vishwah that he is the only survivor.”
Vishwash eventually discovered the tragic reality, and just six days after the horror crash, he was filmed carrying Ajay’s coffin to his funeral. His face was still bandaged up at the time.
Channel 5 News presenter Katherine Nash said: “He’s still visibly injured, he’s got some bruising, he’s got some bandages on, but he is able to be there for his family at that really important moment.”
After the crash, Vishwash, from Leicestershire, told Indian television that he “managed to escape by jumping out the emergency door”. Vishwash explained: “I managed to unbuckle myself, used my leg to push through that opening, and crawled out.”
His seat, 11A, was conveniently located next to both the exit and the toilet cubicle. Experts believe that his seating area, known as the “wing box”, is the strongest part of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, according to The Guardian.
“There is not just the fuselage, but the extra structure of the wing to protect from the compression of the fuselage,” explained Prof John McDermid, Lloyd’s Register chair of safety at the University of York.
Investigators are now diligently working to understand what caused the plane to lose altitude shortly after take-off. They will examine cockpit voice and flight data recorders in the plane to determine what led to the crash.
ICAO, the aviation body, states that preliminary reports should be released within 30 days of a crash, with a final report ideally released within 12 months.