‘Doesn't Talk, Wakes Up At Midnight': Ahmedabad Crash's Lone Survivor Struggles To Overcome Trauma
Vishwas Kumar Ramesh, the lone survivor of the June 12's Ahmedabad-London Air India plane crash, which claimed the lives of over 270 people, is still struggling to to cope up with the trauma of the monumental tragedy.
Ramesh, an Indian-origin British citizen, was the only one out of the 242 passengers on board the ill-fated aircraft, who walked out of the burning flames alive. His brother Ajay was among the 241 others onboard who perished along with other individuals onboard.
Ramesh is now is now taking a psychiatrist's help to find a way of coping with the traumatic experience, news agency PTI reported citing his cousin as saying.
The aftermath has left Ramesh emotionally devastated. His cousin Sunny told the news agency that the memories of the scenes of the crash site, his miraculous escape and his brother's death still hound him.
'Many people, including our relatives living abroad, call us to inquire about Vishwas's well-being. But he does not talk to anyone. He is yet to overcome the mental trauma of the crash and the death of his brother," he said.
Sunny further said that Ramesh sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night and finds it difficult to fall back asleep.
'He still wakes up in the middle of the night and finds it difficult to fall asleep again. We took him to a psychiatrist two days ago to find remedy. He has not made any plans yet to return to London because his treatment has just begun," Sunny added.
Ramesh was discharged from the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital on June 17- the same day his family received Ajay's mortal remains after DNA match.
Ramesh and Ajay were returning to London by the Air India flight after visiting their family in Diu. In a video widely shared on social media, Vishwas was seen carrying his brother's mortal remains on his shoulders to the cremation ground in Diu on June 18.
Ramesh's Ordeal
In an interview to Doordarshan, Vishwas recounted that the aircraft seemed to have stalled within seconds of taking off. His seat, 11A, was close to the emergency door on the left side, he said.
'Luckily, the portion of the plane where I was seated fell on the ground floor of the (medical college) hostel premises after the plane crash- landed. When I saw that the door was broken, I told myself that I can try and get out. Eventually, I came out," he told reporters.
In a viral video shot by a local person minutes after the crash, Kumar was seen walking towards an ambulance, away from the debris.
Ahmedabad Plane Crash
India witnessed one of its worst aviation tragedies on June 12 after a London-bound Air India plane, carrying 242 passengers and crew, including former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, crashed into a medical college complex shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport
241 out of 242 passengers and crew members on board the Boeing 787-8 (AI 171) and 34 on the ground, were killed in the crash. The deceased included 120 men, 124 women, and 16 children.
The aircraft had 232 passengers and 10 crew members, including 169 Indians, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese and a Canadian, on board.
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First Published:
July 12, 2025, 21:56 IST
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