Air India Crash Survivor Says He’s ‘Lucky to Be Alive’

The sole survivor of the Air India crash that claimed 241 lives has described himself as the “luckiest man alive,” while revealing the profound physical and emotional toll the tragedy has taken on him and his family.

Viswashkumar Ramesh, 39, miraculously walked away from the wreckage of the London-bound Boeing 787 that went down shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad in June, engulfed in flames. His survival shocked the world—but he says the emotional scars run deep.

Speaking to BBC News from his home in Leicester, Mr. Ramesh said: “I’m the only survivor. Still, I can’t believe it. It’s a miracle. But I lost my brother as well—he was my backbone.” His younger brother, Ajay, was seated just a few rows away and did not survive.

Since returning to the UK, Mr. Ramesh has struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), finding it difficult to communicate even with his wife and four-year-old son. “Now I just sit alone. I don’t talk to anyone. Every day is painful,” he said through tears.

His advisers confirmed that he continues to receive medical and psychological support while coming to terms with the loss of his brother and the collapse of the family’s fishing business in Diu, which they ran together.

The crash killed 169 Indian nationals, 52 Britons, and 19 people on the ground. A preliminary investigation by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau found that a sudden fuel cutoff to the engines occurred just seconds after take-off.

Mr. Ramesh, seated in 11A, managed to unbuckle himself and escape through a hole in the fuselage. He was later visited by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi while recovering in hospital.

Air India, owned by Tata Group, said it has offered interim compensation of £21,500, which Mr. Ramesh’s advisers accepted but described as inadequate to meet his immediate needs.

Family spokesman Radd Seiger criticised the airline’s lack of engagement, saying: “The people who should be here today are Air India executives. They need to sit down with us and help alleviate some of this suffering.”

In response, Air India said it “remains committed to supporting all families affected” and that senior representatives from its parent company “continue to visit families to express their deepest condolences.” The airline added that an offer to meet with Mr. Ramesh’s team had been extended prior to his media appearance.

Mr. Ramesh’s ordeal stands as both a story of miraculous survival and of deep, ongoing pain—a reminder of the human cost behind one of India’s worst aviation disasters in recent history.