British sole survivor of Air India crash still hasn't returned home as families demand answers over victims' remains
The sole survivor of the Air India crash, which killed 260 people, has still not returned home three months later, his wife has revealed.
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh was the only person to emerge from the wreckage of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner alive after it plummeted into a building just moments after takeoff.
Tragedy unfolded in the skies on 12 June 2025, shortly after Flight AI171 had departed the Indian city of Ahmedabad to head to London. The aviation disaster claimed the lives of all 12 crew members onboard and 229 passengers, while another 19 people on the ground were killed.
Ramesh, who was sitting in seat 11A near one of the plane's emergency exits, defied all odds and managed to escape the deadly incident with some injuries to his chest, eyes, and feet.
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However, he is still struggling with the psychological impact that the devastating Air India crash has had on him.
The British national, who hails from Leicester, previously revealed he had been plagued by survivor's guilt since watching 'people dying in front of his eyes'.
Revealing how he managed to flee the wreckage of the plane, he told local media outlet Doordarshan at the time: "For a little while, I thought I was also going to die.
"But when I opened my eyes, I realised I was alive. So I tried to escape. I pulled out the belt from under my seat and tried to escape.
"Then I managed to do it. I saw others and the air hostess in front of me who couldn’t escape."
The 40-year-old dad was flying back to the UK on Flight AI171 with his brother Ajay Kumar Ramesh, 45, who was sitting in a different row. His sibling sadly died.
Ramesh's wife has now told how her husband is still grappling with his grief and recovering from the traumatic event in India.
She explained that she returned to the UK with her son ahead of the school term starting, but Ramesh and the rest of the family have not yet made the journey.
The mum told The Times that their child 'understands, but still misses his dad' - and said she isn't sure of when Ramesh will be ready to return.
"I’m not sure when he’s coming back to the UK as his treatment is going on," Ramesh's wife said. "Everything happened in front of him, and the main thing is he lost his brother. He’s not talking to anyone in the media, even in India."
They are not the only family which remains fractured in the wake of the Air India disaster, as the relatives of several victims claim to have received 'other remains' in caskets which were supposed to contain their loved ones.
The son of Air India passengers Ashok and Shobhana Patel, Miten Patel, wrote an open letter to the UK's Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper alongside the brother of Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek, Tom Donaghey.
"Not only did we lose our family members in this tragedy, but have since endured the unimaginable pain of their remains being mishandled, mislabelled, commingled and in one devastating case, completely lost without any explanation or any sort of empathetic response regarding this whatsoever from the authorities in India," it read (via The Times).
"For the last three months, we have tried to seek answers through the proper channels, but we have been met with silence and empty gestures."
They called on Cooper to help them gain some 'accountability, responsibility and action'.
"The silence and indifference that we have faced are further traumatising and have added to our grief and sorrow," the letter continued.
"We cannot mourn in peace until accountability for these wrongs are acknowledged and addressed.”
According to the BBC, the Indian government said the victim's identification took place 'as per established protocols' and that all remains were 'with due regard for the dignity of the deceased'.
In July, they said they would 'work with the UK authorities on addressing any concerns'.
James Healy-Pratt, a lawyer representing 25 of the victim's families, said a 'diplomatic incident' had occurred over the mislabelled remains, adding: "The Indian authorities went back to look for further remains and they, I understand, did find some further remains which were later then repatriated to London and are being examined by the coroner."
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said it had been in 'constant dialogue with Air India and the Indian authorities'.
A government spokesperson told LADbible: "We understand that this is an extremely distressing time for the families, and our thoughts remain with them.
"Foreign Office staff continue to support the families and loved ones in line with our consular remit. We have allocated dedicated caseworkers to each family who wish to have one.
"Formal identification of bodies is a matter for the Indian authorities. We continue to liaise with the Government of Gujarat and the Government of India on behalf of the families and the Inner West London Senior Coroner to support the coronial process."
LADbible Group has contacted Yvette Cooper for comment.
Topics: Air India, UK News, World News, Travel
Olivia Burke