'Don’t Like To Talk To Anyone': Air India Crash Sole Survivor Suffering 'Physically, Mentally'

Viswashkumar Ramesh, the lone survivor of the June 2025 Air India plane crash, has spoken publicly for the first time since returning to the United Kingdom. He opened up about the psychological and physical toll the tragedy has taken on him and his family. He also said that he felt like the luckiest man alive.

The London-bound Boeing 787 crashed soon after take-off from Gujarat’s Ahmedabad airport on June 12. Footage on various news channels showed Ramesh walking away from the blazing wreckage of the plane. The visuals stunned everyone.

Ramesh was the lone survivor among 230 people on board. The deadly crash killed 241 people on board, including 12 crew members, and 19 on the ground.

Now, speaking to the BBC, the 39-year-old Ramesh said, “I still can’t believe it. I’m the only one who survived.”

His younger brother, Ajay, who was seated a few rows away from him in the ill-fated plane, did not survive. Following the tragedy, Ramesh became a subject of global attention. He was also diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, according to the BBC.

He recently returned to his Leicester home and is now trying to rebuild a sense of normalcy.

Sanjiv Patel and Radd Seiger, two of his advisors, sat next to Ramesh when the BBC visited him at his house for the interview.

During the interview, Ramesh spoke cautiously about his ordeal. “Still not good. I’m finding myself a bit difficult, physically and mentally,” he said when asked how he was coping.

Asked when he realised something was wrong on the flight, he replied, “It is very painful for me to explain what happened still. I can’t say anything about that now.”

Reflecting on life since the crash, Ramesh said, “I don’t like to talk to anyone. I just sit in my room, alone. Even with my wife and my son, I don’t talk to them. I just want to be by myself in the house.”

He is also dealing with lasting physical injuries, leaving him unable to work or drive. His advisers say that Air India must provide additional compensation to meet his immediate needs and are calling for a direct meeting with the airline’s top executives.

Patel said, “What we want is to speak directly with Air India, not someone down the chain just processing paperwork.”

Seiger added, “Three times we have issued an invitation to them to come and sit with us collaboratively and work together to try and help Vishwashkumar and his family through this ordeal. Three times, they've either ignored us or turned us down. It is not acceptable.”

Air India, owned by the Tata Group, said in a statement, “We are deeply conscious of our responsibility to provide Mr. Ramesh with support. Care for him, and indeed all families affected by the tragedy, remains our absolute priority. Senior leaders from across the Tata Group continue to visit families to express their deepest condolences. An offer has been made to Mr. Ramesh's representatives to arrange such a meeting.”

Even as the interview was on, Ramesh was led away by one of his advisors for a rest.

The June crash, one of the deadliest in recent Indian aviation history, left families and authorities grappling with the scale of the tragedy. Ramesh’s survival remains a rare and almost miraculous story of hope.