Vishwash Kumar Ramesh: Air India miracle survivor plagued by nightmares after deadly plane crash

He has been called a “miracle man” after walking away from the wreckage of the Air India plane that crashed last month, but an update on the wellbeing of British man Vishwash Kumar Ramesh paints a bleak picture.

Mr Ramesh was the sole survivor of the doomed flight that killed 242 passengers and crew in on June 12.

The plane, which took off from India’s Ahmedabad Airport, was on its way to London but crashed about 30 seconds after take-off.

Mr Ramesh, 40, was seated in 11A, a window seat beside an emergency exit. His brother Ajay, 35, had been seated on the opposite side of the aisle in 11J.

Remarkably, in the chaotic moments after the crash, Mr Ramesh managed to crawl out of the burning plane and was captured on video walking, dazed and bloodied, along a street next to the crash site.

Later, dramatic footage emerged showing him unsteadily heading back toward the burning wreckage in a desperate bid to find and rescue his brother.

Mr Ramesh sustained cuts to his face and body and spent several days in hospital recovering from the ordeal, and was even visited by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Now, nearly six weeks on, his family has revealed he his struggling, constantly reliving the horror crash in his nightmares.

Krunal Keshave, a member of Mr Ramesh’s extended family in Leicester, told UK media, “He can’t sleep at night. He sleeps but doesn’t sleep properly. When he sleeps, he dreams he is on the flight.

“He remembers seeing everyone die in front of his eyes.”

Mr Ramesh has remained in India as he continues to grieve the loss of his younger brother.

“He sees him everywhere. He speaks but he doesn’t speak about the crash,” Mr Keshave, who has just returned to the UK after visiting Mr Ramesh, said.

“His wife and his son are there with him, supporting him. He is currently trying to have a normal life, but he is not going out too much.

“He is spending time at home with the family. He was living in the house in Diu with his brother before the crash.”

Another family member said “He feels guilty that he is the only one to have lived when everybody else, including his brother, died. It’s a lot to live with.”

In the days after the crash, Mr Ramesh told the Hindustan Times: “Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly. 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.”

An investigation is now zeroing in on the actions of the pilots of the doomed flight, with a preliminary report suggesting the captain may have cut the fuel to the Boeing 787’s engines.