Viswashkumar Ramesh, 39, was seated in 11A on the London-bound Boeing 787 when it crashed moments after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12. He unbuckled his seatbelt and escaped through an opening, but his younger brother perished in the tragedy that claimed 241 lives. “I feel like the luckiest man alive,” Ramesh told BBC News, though the label haunts him amid physical pains and mental anguish.
The flight, AI171, plummeted into Meghani Nagar residential area just five minutes after departing at 1:38 p.m., erupting in flames. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Ramesh in the hospital shortly after.
“I lost my brother as well. My brother is my backbone.”
Public figures like PM Modi showed solidarity by visiting the survivor, highlighting national grief and support for the affected families.
Ramesh’s isolation from his wife and young son underscores the hidden battles of survival – a reminder that true recovery demands community compassion and access to mental health care.
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