Air India survivor carries coffin of brother killed sitting next to him in crash
Air India survivor Vishwash Ramesh, 40, was seen with plasters on his face as he carried the coffin of his brother Ajay, who was sat next to him on the doomed flight
The only survivor of the Air India disaster has been seen carrying the coffin of his brother who tragically died in the plane crash.
Vishwash Ramesh, 40, appeared with plasters on his face wearing a white robe as he acted as one of the pallbearers for his brother Ajay, who was sat next to him on the doomed flight. The coffin was adorned with a number colourful flower garlands, and carried by a number of other mourners through the streets. At least 270 people, including 241 passengers on board, died on Thursday when the Boeing Dreamliner plane plummeted to the ground in Ahmedabad, India after just 40 seconds in the air.
Shocking footage released this week showed Vishwash walking away from the wreckage as a fire spread through the building hit by the Boeing 787 Dreamliner on its way down.
He was taken to Civil Hospital less than a mile from the airport in Ahmedabad, but his brother Ajay tragically died in the crash.
The siblings were heading home after a holiday in India to visit relatives.
Dr Dhaval Gameti, who examined Mr Ramesh in hospital, said he was disoriented and had multiple injuries all over his body.
Speaking from his bed after suffering "impact injuries" in the crash, Vishwash told the Hindustan Times: "It all happened so quickly.
"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."
He also spoke of unusual flickering lights on board the plane, and said: "The lights started flickering green and white. Everything happened in seconds. I realised we were going down. Everyone around me was either dead or dying."
Vishwash's father flew over to be at his bedside in the days after the crash, and he was also paid a visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
More flights cancelled
An Air India flight on the same route as a plane that crashed last week was cancelled yesterday because of "precautionary checks", the airline said.Flight AI159 was planned to depart Ahmedabad, India, at 1.10pm local time on Tuesday, and arrive at Gatwick airport at 6.25pm BST.Air India's website shows the flight was initially delayed by one hour and 50 minutes but was later cancelled.A flight from Gatwick to Amritsar, India, set to depart at 8pm BST was also axed
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Wales Online
3 hours ago
- Wales Online
Family of Welsh businessman killed in Air India crash feels 'abandoned'
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info The brother of a highly-regarded Newport businessman, who died in the Air India plane crash with his wife and young daughter, said they feel "utterly abandoned". Akeel Nanabawa, 35, together with his wife Hanaa Vorajee and their four year old daughter Sara, met a tragic end when the aircraft they were aboard plunged into a residential district of Ahmedabad shortly after takeoff last Thursday. Hamzah Nanabawa, Akeel's sibling, remains uncertain about when his body will be returned to the family and is urgently seeking more support from the British government on site in India. A family representative told the BBC their plea for help: "We're not asking for miracles – we're asking for presence, for compassion, for action. Right now, we feel utterly abandoned." Despite providing DNA and a three-day wait, the family has yet to recover Akeel's body. The doomed flight, which crashed just moments post departure from Ahmedabad airport, was carrying 242 individuals including 53 Britons; astonishingly, there was one survivor, reports Wales Online. The Nanabawa family were travelling home to Gloucester on the flight. Mr Nanabawa told the BBC: "I need the UK government to come out by themselves, if they've given up all this big talk over in the UK, come out here and help." He said that there is no UK leadership in India and no crisis professionals stationed at the hospital. A spokesperson for the Foreign Office said a dedicated helpline has been set up to support families of the victims and UK air accident investigators are in India to support the authorities. "No-one from UK has even reached out to me, my family, to my sister-in-law's family. Nobody has. So you're saying no-one from the foreign office in the UK or here reached out to us at all, nobody," Mr Nanabawa said. "They haven't done anything for us [or] what we wanted. You have to understand, this is the highest, highest incident in the UK's history of 53 lives, and we are now on day four." (Image: James Manning/PA) He added: "All I want is you guys to come and help and help my brother, my sister-in-law, my niece and all the other 53 people that were on that plane. "Come and help them, please. Because they are grieving. They are hurt. They haven't got anybody. They [haven't got any] structure, no structure at all." Akeel grew up grew up in Newport and went to Caerleon Comprehensive School before founding executive recruitment agency Rec2Go in Gloucester. Members of the Newport community told WalesOnline they were shocked at the news of the family's tragic death. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox PE teacher at Caerleon Comprehensive School James Savastano said: "It's with great sadness that we have lost Akeel in the tragic Air India plane crash. "As a member of my form group he was well-liked and had a wide circle of friends within the year. He was a great personality and, for most of the time, a model student. "He was a talented rugby player and cricketer representing the school with prowess in both sports. "He and his three brothers were all top lads during their time at Caerleon Comp and I'm sure Akeel will be sorely missed by all of the Nanabawa family. Rest in peace Akeel." A Foreign Office spokesperson told the BBC: "Our staff continue to work around the clock in the UK and India to support the families and loved ones of all those impacted by the crash. "We have set up a Reception Centre at the Ummed Hotel, near the Ahmedabad airport, and have a dedicated helpline to provide support and advice for the families and friends of British nationals." The North Wales Live Whatsapp community for top stories and breaking news is live now - here's how to sign up
Metro
3 hours ago
- Metro
British Air India survivor helping to carry his brother's coffin
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The sole survivor of the Air India disaster carried the coffin of his brother to his funeral hours after being discharged from hospital. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh stumbled out of the burning jet moments before it exploded, whilst all other 241 onboard – including his brother Ajay – were killed. His body was among as many as 270 recovered from the site of the crash in the city of Ahmedabad, in the state of Gujarat, on Thursday last week. Footage shows the British national valancing Ajay's coffin on his shoulder, despite walking with a visible limb. His face is covered in plasters – injuries suffered during the collision after the Boeing 787 Dreamliner reported a loss of engine thrust after take-off. The tragic parade made its way through the streets less than a week after the plane came down. Vishwas' family from Leicester – including his wife and son – have flown out to India to be with him following news of the tragedy. Both brothers are natives of the coastal town of Diu and had travelled to India to spend time with their family. More Trending Local officials confirmed that Ajay was cremated in the town by his family. Vishwas' survival has been hailed a miracle – and he was even visited by India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Sitting in 11A – a window seat by an emergency exit – he was able to crawl out of the aircraft, and was filmed walking into the street. Meanwhile, Ajay was at the far end of the same row on the other side of the aisle – seat 11J. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: London-bound Air India flight 'cancelled last minute over technical issues' MORE: Could flight prices go up after Air India crash and Middle East escalation? MORE: Second miracle of 11A after another Brit was booked onto Air India plane but had to change flights
Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Air India survivor carries coffin of brother killed sitting next to him in crash
Air India survivor Vishwash Ramesh, 40, was seen with plasters on his face as he carried the coffin of his brother Ajay, who was sat next to him on the doomed flight The only survivor of the Air India disaster has been seen carrying the coffin of his brother who tragically died in the plane crash. Vishwash Ramesh, 40, appeared with plasters on his face wearing a white robe as he acted as one of the pallbearers for his brother Ajay, who was sat next to him on the doomed flight. The coffin was adorned with a number colourful flower garlands, and carried by a number of other mourners through the streets. At least 270 people, including 241 passengers on board, died on Thursday when the Boeing Dreamliner plane plummeted to the ground in Ahmedabad, India after just 40 seconds in the air. Shocking footage released this week showed Vishwash walking away from the wreckage as a fire spread through the building hit by the Boeing 787 Dreamliner on its way down. He was taken to Civil Hospital less than a mile from the airport in Ahmedabad, but his brother Ajay tragically died in the crash. The siblings were heading home after a holiday in India to visit relatives. Dr Dhaval Gameti, who examined Mr Ramesh in hospital, said he was disoriented and had multiple injuries all over his body. Speaking from his bed after suffering "impact injuries" in the crash, Vishwash told the Hindustan Times: "It all happened so quickly. "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." He also spoke of unusual flickering lights on board the plane, and said: "The lights started flickering green and white. Everything happened in seconds. I realised we were going down. Everyone around me was either dead or dying." Vishwash's father flew over to be at his bedside in the days after the crash, and he was also paid a visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. More flights cancelled An Air India flight on the same route as a plane that crashed last week was cancelled yesterday because of "precautionary checks", the airline AI159 was planned to depart Ahmedabad, India, at 1.10pm local time on Tuesday, and arrive at Gatwick airport at 6.25pm India's website shows the flight was initially delayed by one hour and 50 minutes but was later cancelled.A flight from Gatwick to Amritsar, India, set to depart at 8pm BST was also axed
