Vishwash Kumar Ramesh: Sole Air India crash survivor carries brother’s casket

Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, walked solemnly through the streets of Gujarat, India — the lone survivor of a catastrophic plane crash that killed 241 people, including his brother Ajaykumar Ramesh.

Footage from the funeral procession shows Mr Ramesh visibly injured, with cuts, bruises, and plasters on his face. He walked with a limp at the rear of his brother’s coffin, surrounded by other pallbearers and mourners.

Though the scene was filled with noise and movement, Mr Ramesh appeared lost in his own grief.

The procession took place less than a week after the Boeing 787 went down shortly after takeoff, killing all onboard — except Mr Ramesh, who was seated in 11A, a window seat beside an emergency exit. His brother Ajay had been seated on the opposite side of the aisle in 11J.

Remarkably, Mr Ramesh managed to crawl out of the wreckage and was captured on video walking, dazed and bloodied, along a street adjacent 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.

He spent several days in the hospital recovering from the ordeal and was even visited by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. His family from Leicester, including his wife and son, flew to India to support him.

A relative described Mr Ramesh as improving “day by day,” adding that he had spoken to his son by phone on Father’s Day.

“He is getting better,” his cousin Hiren said.

Recalling the terrifying 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.”

A family member in the UK said Mr Ramesh called shortly after the crash to say he was “fine” and “had no idea” how he survived. When speaking to his father, his first concern was Ajay’s fate. “Where’s Ajay?” he asked.

Aviation experts have called his survival “miraculous,” offering insights into how he may have escaped what was otherwise deemed an unsurvivable crash.

Tony Cable, a former senior crash investigator, said the angle of the jet’s impact may have been key.

“The aircraft was pretty nose up when it hit the buildings. It has presumably broken open in an area of the fuselage adjacent to this guy, and fortuitously, he has popped out without major injury,” The Sun reported.

Experts also pointed to the importance of his seat.

Engineering safety professor John McDermid said seat 11A — located next to an emergency exit with extra legroom — likely gave Mr Ramesh the time and access needed to escape.

“Because of the nature of the impact, he was in a strong part of the aeroplane at the front edge of the wing,” he explained.

“It’s possible that the impact loosened the door, and he could kick it out and get out.”

Fire evacuation expert Professor Ed Galea agreed, saying, “The fact that anyone has survived is miraculous,” and credited the seat’s proximity to the emergency exit as a critical factor in Mr Ramesh’s survival.

Mr Ramesh’s escape has stunned the world and left aviation professionals in awe of what is being described as an extraordinary stroke of fate.