The sole survivor of the Air India plane crash that killed 241 people has said he feels “the luckiest man alive” but is also suffering physically and mentally.
Viswashkumar Ramesh walked away from the wreckage of the London-bound flight in Ahmedabad where extraordinary scenes stunned the world.
He said it was a “miracle” that he escaped, but described how he lost everything because his younger brother Ajay was several seats away from the plane and died in the crash in June.
Since returning to his home in Leicester, Mr Ramesh has been battling post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), his advisers said, and has been unable to speak to his wife and four-year-old son.
Flames engulfed a Boeing 787 flight after it crashed shortly after takeoff in the West Indies.
A shocking video released at the time showed Ramesh walking away from the aftermath with what appeared to be superficial injuries, with smoke billowing in the background.
Speaking to BBC News, an emotional Mr Ramesh, whose mother tongue is Gujarati, said: “I’m the only survivor. I don’t believe it though. It’s a miracle.
“I also lost my brother. My brother is my backbone. He has always supported me for the past few years.”
He described the devastating impact the ordeal had on his family’s life.
“Now I’m alone. I just sit in my room alone, I don’t talk to my wife, my son. I just like to be alone in my house,” Ramesh said.
Speaking from his hospital bed in India at the time, he described how he managed to unbuckle himself and crawl out of the wreckage and met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he was being treated for his injuries.
Of the passengers and crew who died, 169 were Indian nationals, 52 were British and another 19 died on the ground.
The initial report on the crash, released by India’s Air Accidents Investigation Bureau in July, said the engines cut off fuel just seconds after takeoff. Meanwhile, the investigation continues and the airline said caring for Mr Ramesh and all the families affected by the tragedy “is our absolute priority”.
It is the first time the 39-year-old has spoken to the media since returning to the UK. A documentary crew was also filming in the room.
Before the interview, the BBC discussed his duty of care in detail with his advisers.
Asked about his memories of the day of the crash, he said: “I can’t say anything about it now.”
‘I suffer’
Along with local community leader Sanjiv Patel and representative Rad Seiger, Mr Ramesh said it was too painful to recall the events of the disaster and broke down during the interview at Mr Patel’s home in Leicester.
Ramesh described the agony he and his family are now going through.
“It’s very difficult for me after this accident…
“Physically, mentally, and so does my family, mentally… my mother is going through four months, sitting outside the door every day, not talking, nothing.
“I don’t talk to anybody else. I don’t like to talk to anybody else.
“I can’t speak much, I think all night, I suffer mentally.
“Every day is painful for the whole family.”
Mr Ramesh also spoke about the physical injuries he sustained in the crash when he escaped from his seat – 11A – through an opening in the fuselage.
He says his leg, shoulder, knee and back hurt, and he has been unable to work or drive since the tragedy.
“When I walk, I don’t walk properly, slowly, slowly, my wife helps,” he added.
Sanjiv Patel said he is supporting, advising and protecting the family [BBC]
Mr. Ramesh was diagnosed with PTSD while being treated at an Indian hospital, but received no treatment after he returned home, his advisers said.
They described him as lost and broken, facing a long journey to recovery, and are demanding a meeting with Air India executives, claiming he has been treated poorly by the airline since the crash.
“They are going through a crisis, mentally, physically, financially,” Mr. Patel said.
“It destroyed his family.
“Whoever is responsible at the highest level should be on the ground, meet the victims of this tragic event, understand their needs and be heard.”
“Fix Things”
Air India offered Ramesh interim compensation of £21,500, which was accepted, but his advisers say it is not enough to meet his immediate needs.
The family fishing business in Diu, India, which Ramesh ran with his brother before the accident, has since collapsed, his advisers said.
A spokesman for the family, Mr Seiger, said they had made three invitations to Air India for a meeting and all three had been “ignored or rejected”.
The media interview, he said, was a way to reissue this appeal for the fourth time.
Mr Seiger added: “It’s terrible that we have to sit here today and put him down [Viswashkumar] through it.
“Air India executives should be sitting here today, responsible for trying to fix things.
“Please come and sit down with us so we can work through this together and try to alleviate this suffering.”
The airline, which is owned by the Tata Group, said in a statement that senior executives from the parent company are continuing to visit the families to offer their deepest condolences.
“An offer to hold such a meeting has been made to Mr. Ramesh’s representatives and we will continue to be in touch and very much hope for a positive response,” it said.
The airline told the BBC that the offer came ahead of a media interview with Ramesh.