Vishwas Kumar Ramesh, the sole survivor of the catastrophic Air India Flight AI-171 crash on June 12, has described his escape as a miracle overshadowed by profound loss and daily torment. The 40-year-old British national of Indian origin was seated in 11A near an emergency exit when the London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner lost power seconds after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, plummeting into a BJ Medical College hostel and killing 241 onboard plus 19 on the ground. Ramesh emerged dazed and soot-covered amid billowing smoke, while his brother Ajay, seated nearby, perished—leaving Ramesh to grapple with survivor's guilt and PTSD.

Preliminary findings from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) reveal a sudden fuel cutoff to both engines triggered the disaster, causing a fireball explosion on impact. Eyewitness videos captured Ramesh stumbling from the wreckage, a moment that earned him global headlines as "the luckiest man alive." Discharged from Ahmedabad Civil Hospital on June 17 after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's bedside visit, Ramesh accepted his brother's DNA-identified remains the same day, marking the start of a harrowing recovery.

Now back in Leicester, Ramesh isolates himself, avoiding his wife and son while enduring physical limitations and nocturnal terrors. "Every day is painful for the whole family," he told the BBC, describing sleepless nights, muted conversations, and his mother's silent vigils outside. Diagnosed with PTSD, he walks with assistance and relies on psychiatric care, haunted by the boom, flames, and loss of his "backbone" brother who supported him in recent years.

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Air India, under Tata Group ownership, provided interim compensation of £21,500 (Rs 22 lakh), deemed insufficient by Ramesh's advisers amid calls for comprehensive support. The crash—the deadliest in India since 1996—prompted a full AAIB probe into maintenance lapses and fuel systems, with black box data under analysis.

As families mourn 260 lives, Ramesh's ordeal underscores aviation tragedies' lasting scars, fuelling demands for enhanced safety protocols and survivor aid. His story, from miracle escape to mental anguish, highlights resilience amid irreversible grief. Tata and authorities pledge ongoing assistance, but for Ramesh, rebuilding means confronting isolation daily—a lone voice echoing the human cost of June's skies turning fatal.

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