Sole Air India Crash Survivor 'Struggling' and 'Broken' in Aftermath

The sole survivor of June’s Air India crash that left 260 people dead has spoken out following the tragedy, saying, “God gave me life but took all my happiness."

Vishwash Kumar Ramesh Was the Sole Survivor

Thirty-nine-year-old British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh was the only passenger to survive when the London-bound Boeing 737 Dreamliner crashed into a hostel 32 seconds after departing the Ahmedabad airport. Ramesh lost his younger brother, Ajay, in the crash, and though he proclaimed himself “the luckiest man alive,” he told the BBC he’s been left “broken” following the catastrophic tragedy.

Ramesh survived when his portion of the aircraft landed safely on the ground while other portions of the aircraft exploded, hurtling into nearby buildings. Harrowing video of the crash shows Ramesh walking away covered in blood but suffering only from minor injuries as the wreckage burns behind him.

'I'm Not Believing'

"I'm only one survivor. Still, I'm not believing. It's a miracle,” Ramesh told the outlet. "I lost my brother as well. My brother is my backbone. [The] last few years, he was always supporting me."

Since returning to his home in the East Midlands city of Leicester, Ramesh has struggled with post-traumatic stress and near-constant “flashbacks” to the incident. “God gave me life but took all my happiness…It completely brought down my family,” Ramesh told The Telegraph. "Now I'm alone. I just sit in my room alone, not talking with my wife, my son. I just like to be alone in my house," he told the BBC.

'Every Day I'm Struggling'

“I lost my brother, I’m broken,” Ramesh continued. “We were all happy, enjoying [life]. My brother was my strength, he was my everything. And now? We’re broken, I don’t feel like talking to anyone. My mother, father, and my younger brother totally broke down—like mentally. And also me—mentally, physically…I’m in my room, alone. I don’t like to talk too much…Every day I’m struggling.”

Air India Refused to Meet with Ramesh

Air India offered Ramesh a financial sum equal to the amount paid out to relatives of the other victims, but the airline has refused Ramesh’s three requests to meet with officials. Ramesh’s spokesperson, Radd Seiger, accused Air India of “hiding behind lawyers.” “You might guess that his claim is by far bigger than anyone else’s,” Seiger said, “because as you can imagine, his injuries are horrendous.”

No definitive cause for the crash has been determined. However, in July, Indian authorities announced that the tragedy was in part caused by both fuel control switches being “cut-off” just seconds after takeoff, leading to a tremendous loss of thrust which caused the plane to crash.