Ahmedabad plane crash: With numb eyes and a broken heart, sole survivor Ramesh performs brother’s last rites | Watch video
Allahabad plane crash: What was meant to be a cherished family visit turned into a lifelong nightmare. British national Vishwas Kumar Ramesh, 40, arrived in India with his brother Ajay to spend time with loved ones in their native town of Diu. But a week later, Vishwas walked alone — the sole survivor of the devastating June 12 Air India crash that claimed 270 lives, including his brother’s. Today, he carried Ajay’s mortal remains to the cremation ground in Diu, a heartbreaking moment that marked the final farewell to the brother he came home with.
#WATCH | Diu | Lone survivor of AI-171 flight crash, Vishwas Ramesh Kumar, mourns the death of his brother Ajay Ramesh, who was travelling on the same flight
Vishwas Ramesh Kumar is a native of Diu and is settled in the UK. pic.twitter.com/fSAsCNwGz5
— ANI (@ANI) June 18, 2025
After being discharged from Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, where he was recovering from injuries, Vishwas Kumar Ramesh was handed over the body of his brother Ajay following DNA identification. In an emotional scene, he was seen personally taking Ajay’s remains to Diu for cremation on Wednesday morning.
Vishwas, who had been seated in 11A aboard AI flight 171, miraculously survived when his section of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crash-landed into the ground floor of BJ Medical College’s hostel. In a viral video post-crash, he was seen limping toward an ambulance. Recalling those harrowing moments, he told reporters, “When I saw the plane door broken, I told myself I can try and get out. Eventually, I came out.”
The London-bound flight tragically went down minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The final distress call from the pilot issued a desperate “mayday” before the crash.
- With inputs from agencies
