Lone Survivor Of Air India Plane Crash Ask For ‘Honesty And Answers’

It has been a year since the Air India plane crash and the only surviving passenger has demanded “honesty, transparency and answers.” It has been one year since the Air India plane crash, which claimed the lives of 260 people in June 2015, and the only remaining victim has said he has “significant psychological scars” and financial problems.

The British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who was the only survivor from the crash of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner which hit a medical college soon after it took off from Ahmedabad airport, has earlier spoken of his fortune saying it was a “miracle”.

The crash resulted in 169 Indian nationals and 52 Britons being killed on board the aircraft heading towards London and 19 people on or near the site of the accident. Another 67 were gravely injured.

The brother of Ramesh died in the crash and he wants answers, which investigators have yet to release. The investigation was in the “last stage”, and the report will be “mostly” completed by the anniversary of the crash on 12 June, India's civil aviation minister had said last month.

Exactly 30 days after last year's crash, the Indian authorities released a preliminary report, in line with standard procedure. It was discovered that "immediately" after take-off both of the fuel switches on the plane were in the “cut-off” position, which halts the fuel supply to the engine.

In a conversation with the Press Association, Ramesh said there were still more questions he had to have answered, and his trauma hadn't ended the day of the crash. “I live with the significant psychological scars, the loss of my brother, and the constant unanswered questions around how and why this happened,” he said.

He mentioned that people want to know the answers, transparency and honesty. He expressed his sorrow that nothing will ever change what happened as a result they want to know the answers.

According to his representative, Sanjiv Patel, Ramesh has been given £21,500 by Air India to help his wife and 5-year-old son but he is still financially and psychologically and emotionally struggling.

Patel said that they have repeatedly requested a meeting with the chief executive of Air India, but it has not materialised. We have recently interacted with the executives of Air India and those related to the Tata group which holds majority stake in the business.”

The talks have been constructive, and while good progress has been made, some key issues remain under discussion.

Patel said that because of the crash, Ramesh couldn't earn as much as he normally did, and his family was living on less than £1,000 per month.

Ramesh has also filed a civil lawsuit. Patel added that no direct contact and specifically tailored support has been offered from the UK government to Patil or many of the affected families they have spoken to – despite one of the worst aviation incidents involving British citizens in recent years.

An Air India spokesperson confirmed that the Air India and Tata group team had met Ramesh and they are in “close contact” with him and his team. They are “actively working to ensure that appropriate support continues to be extended to him”, the company said.