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RNZ News
a day ago
- General
- RNZ News
Just one man survived the Air India crash. What's it like to survive a mass disaster?
By By Erin Smith of Vishwash Kumar Ramesh was the sole survivor of the Air India flight 171 crash. Photo: Narendra Modi / YouTube / AFP Viswashkumar Ramesh, a British citizen returning from a trip to India, has been confirmed as the only survivor of Thursday's deadly Air India crash. "I don't know how I am alive," Ramesh told family, according to brother Nayan, in a video call moments after emerging from the wreckage. Another brother, Ajay, seated elsewhere on the plane, was killed. Given the horror of the Air India plane crash, the story of British national Vishwashkumar Ramesh from Leicester, sitting in seat 11a, being sole survivor & walking away with just a few scratches, is truly astonishing. Truly a miracle. #planecrash #PlaneCrashIndia The Boeing 787-7 Dreamliner crashed into a medical college less than a minute after taking off in the city of Ahmedabad, killing the other 229 passengers and 12 crew. At least five people were killed on the ground. Surviving a mass disaster of this kind may be hailed as a kind of "miracle",but what is it like to survive, especially as the only one? Air India flight 171 crashed in a residential area near the airport in Ahmedabad. Photo: AFP / Diptendu Dutta Past research has shown that disaster survivors may experience an intense range of emotions, from grief and anxiety to feelings of loss and uncertainty. These are common reactions to an extraordinary situation. People light candles as they take part in a Siliguri prayer ceremony for the airplane crash victims. Photo: Handout / CENTRAL INDUSTRIAL SECURITY FORCE (CISF) / AFP Some people may develop post-traumatic stress disorder ( PTSD ) and have difficulty adjusting to a new reality, after bearing witness to immense loss. They may also be dealing with physical recovery from injuries sustained in the disaster. Most people recover after disasters by drawing on their own strengths and the support of others. Recovery rates are high: Generally, less than one in 10 of those affected by disasters develop chronic, long-term problems, but being a sole survivor of a mass casualty event may have its own complex psychological challenges. Survivors can experience guilt they lived, when others died. My friend, Gill Hicks, spoke to me for this article about the ongoing guilt she still feels, years after surviving the 2005 bombings of the London Underground. Lying trapped in a smoke-filled train carriage, she was the last living person to be rescued after the attack. Gill lost both her legs, yet she still wonders, "Why me? Why did I get to go home when so many others didn't?". Dr Gill Hicks lost both legs in the 2005 London Underground bombings. Photo: supplied In the case of a sole survivor, this guilt may be particularly acute, but research addressing the impact of sole survivorship is limited. Most research that looks at the psychological impact of disasters focuses on the impact of disasters more broadly. Those interviewed for a 2013 documentary about surviving large plane crashes, Sole Survivor , express complex feelings - wanting to share their stories, but fearing being judged by others. Being the lone survivor can be a heavy burden. "I didn't think I was worthy of the gift of being alive," George Lamson Jr told the documentary , after surviving a 1985 plane crash in Nevada that killed all others on board. People who survive a disaster may also be under pressure to explain what happened and relive the trauma for the benefit of others. Vishwashkumar Ramesh was filmed and interviewed by the media in the minutes and hours following the Air India crash, but as he told his brother, "I have no idea how I exited the plane". India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets with Vishwash Kumar Ramesh. Photo: Narendra Modi / YouTube / AFP It can be common for survivors themselves to be plagued by unanswerable questions. Did they live for a reason? Why did they live when so many others died? These kinds of unaswerable questions reflect our natural inclination to look for meaning in experiences, and to have our life stories make sense. For some people, sharing a traumatic experience with others who've been through it or something similar can be a beneficial part of the recovery process, helping to process emotions and regain some agency and control. However, this may not always be possible for sole survivors, potentially compounding feelings of guilt and isolation. Survivor's guilt can be an expression of grief and loss. Studies indicate guilt is notably widespread among individuals who have experienced traumatic events, and it is associated with heightened psychopathological symptoms (such as severe anxiety, insomnia or flashbacks) and thoughts of suicide. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Vishwash Kumar Ramesh. Photo: @ASHLOVETEA via AFP Taking time to process the traumatic event can help survivors cope, and seeking support from friends, family and community, or faith leaders can help an individual work through difficult feelings. My friend Gill said the anxiety rises, as the anniversary of the disaster approaches each year. Trauma reminders, such as anniversaries, are different to unexpected trauma triggers, but can still cause distress. Media attention around collectively experienced dates can also amplify trauma-related distress, contributing to a cycle of media consumption and increased worry about future events. On 7 July each year, Gill holds a private remembrance ritual. This allows her to express her grief and sense of loss, and to honour those who did not survive. These types of can be a valuable tool in processing feelings of grief and guilt, offering a sense of control and meaning, and facilitating the expression and acceptance of loss. Lingering guilt and anxiety - especially when it interferes with day-to-day life - should not be ignored. Ongoing survivor's guilt is associated with significantly higher levels of post-traumatic symptoms . Survivors may need support from psychologists or mental health professionals in the short and long term. - Erin Smith is associate professor and discipline lead (paramedicine) at La Trobe University This story originally appeared on The Conversation.
New York Times
3 days ago
- General
- New York Times
‘I Don't Know How I Am Alive,' Air India Crash Survivor Tells Family
The only passenger known to have survived the crash of Air India Flight 171 called his family in Britain moments after he emerged from the wreckage on Thursday and said he was at a loss to explain his luck. 'I don't know how I am alive,' the passenger, Viswash Kumar Ramesh, said, according to his younger brother, Nayan Ramesh, 27. Vishwash, 38, was flying back to London from Ahmedabad, India, when the plane crashed moments after taking off, killing the 241 other people on board the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. One of them was his brother Ajay. The Ramesh family home in Leicester, England, was a scene of mourning and stunned amazement. Outside the house, two dozen men milled about, one a dazed-looking Nayan. The door to the house was open, and inside an older woman could be seen crying and being comforted. In India, a doctor who said he had examined Viswash, Dhaval Gameti, told The Associated Press that the former Air India passenger was 'disoriented, with multiple injuries all over his body, but he seems to be out of danger.' Later, Nayan said that the family had spoken with his brother from the hospital. 'They have told him to be on bed rest, and they have switched off his phone,' he said. Shortly after the plane crashed, Viswash, who had been on vacation, Nayan said, managed to make a video call to his father from next to the wreckage. 'Our plane crashed,' he said, according to Nayan. 'I have no idea how I got outside.' He had to couple the extraordinarily good news with the extraordinary bad. 'He was like: 'I can't see my brother. I can't see any other passengers,'' Nyan said. 'He was just in shock.' Then he was hustled into an ambulance.
New York Times
3 days ago
- General
- New York Times
Hundreds Dead in the Fiery Crash of an Air India Jet
An Air India flight bound for London crashed only seconds after takeoff in western India on Thursday, plunging into a local medical college and killing more than 260 people, officials said. It was India's worst aviation disaster since 1996. Video verified by The New York Times shows the plane taking off and then descending slowly over a cluster of buildings as if it were gliding before a large fireball erupts on the horizon. It did not tumble or plunge out of the sky, and was in the air for less than a minute, the video shows. Air India confirmed that 241 people — all but one person on the plane — were killed, and that one person, a British citizen, had survived. A video clip circulating on Indian news outlets shows a man with injuries on his face and blood on his white shirt limping toward an ambulance, saying he came from 'inside' the plane. The man was later identified by his brother as Viswash Kumar Ramesh. 'He got off the plane and he video-called my dad and said, 'Our plane crashed — I have no idea how I got outside, or how I survived,'' the brother, Nayan Ramesh, said in an interview. Viswash Kumar Ramesh had been traveling on the plane with another brother, Ajay Ramesh. 'He was like, 'I can't see my brother — I can't see any other passengers,'' Nayan Ramesh said, quoting his brother on the video call. 'I don't know how I am alive,' Nayan Ramesh said his brother added. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Sky News
3 days ago
- General
- Sky News
British crash survivor told family 'I don't know how I'm alive' seconds after plane came down
The British man who survived the Air India plane crash told his family "I don't know how I'm alive" in a phone call seconds after the plane came down, his brother has told Sky News. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh is the only passenger reported to have survived after Air India Flight 171 crashed into a building shortly after take-off in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on Thursday afternoon. Relatives confirmed they had spoken to him since the crash - but they have not been able to contact his brother who was also believed to be on board. Speaking from Leicester, Mr Ramesh's brother Nayan told Sky News' Shamaan Freeman-Powell that their father was on the phone to Vishwash while the plane was still on the runway. "My dad called him," the 27 year old said. "And Vishwash said 'oh we're going to take off soon." Two minutes later, their father received a video call from Mr Ramesh to say the plane had crashed and he had survived. "He video called my dad as he crashed and said 'Oh the plane's crashed. I don't know where my brother is. I don't see any other passengers. I don't know how I'm alive - how I exited the plane'," Nayan said. Mr Ramesh earlier told the Hindustan Times that he heard a "loud noise" around 30 seconds after take-off - and before the plane went down. "It all happened so quickly," he told the newspaper, adding he had received "impact injuries" to his chest, eyes and feet. "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." Nayan Kumar Ramesh said he was supposed to be collecting his brother from Gatwick Airport on Thursday and the whole family planned to come together for a gathering this weekend. "I've got no words to describe it," he said. "It's a miracle that he survived - but what about the other miracle for my other brother." Asked how he and his relatives were feeling, he replied: "Devastated. I'm scared to fly now - to even sit on a plane." Footage shared widely on social media showed Mr Ramesh limping away from the crash site and being led towards emergency services. He told Indian media he has lived in London for 20 years. According to the Hindustan Times report, Mr Ramesh is 40 - but official flight documents list his age as 38. He told the newspaper his brother was sitting in a different row on the plane. "We visited Diu. He was travelling with me and I can't find him anymore. Please help me find him." The aircraft departed Ahmedabad for London Gatwick at 1.38pm local time on Thursday, carrying 242 passengers and crew members. They included 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian national, the airline said. According to tracking website Flightradar, a signal was last received from the plane less than a minute after it took off. It then crashed into a medical school's residential quarters in Meghaninagar, Ahmedabad, the largest city in Gujarat state. In a statement, London Gatwick said the flight was due to land at 6.25pm UK time on Thursday and a reception centre for relatives of those on board is being set up where information and support will be provided. The UK Foreign Office said it is "working with local authorities in India to urgently establish the facts and provide support to those involved". British nationals who require consular assistance are advised to call 020 7008 5000, while Air India has set up hotlines to provide information on +91 806 2779 200 for foreign nationals or 1800 5691 444 if calling from India. 0:44 Initially, an Ahmedabad city police commissioner claimed there appeared to be no survivors. The local police chief later said that at least 204 bodies had been recovered from the crash site, according to Reuters. Thursday's is the first crash of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner in its history, according to the Aviation Safety Network database. The model, a widebody, twin-engine plane, has made five million journeys in the 14 years since its first passenger flight. Meanwhile, India's prime minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences in a post on X. "The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us," he wrote. "It is heartbreaking beyond words. In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it." Please refresh the page for the latest version.
