‘Used all savings', situation poses 'existential threat’: Lone survivor of Air India crash details financial struggle
Viswashkumar Ramesh said he and his late brother had used all their savings to start a fishing business in India before the deadly Air India crash.
Viswashkumar Ramesh, the sole survivor of the devastating Air India plane crash that killed 241 people on June 12, has spoken about his financial struggles and the emotional trauma of losing his brother in the tragedy. His adviser said that Ramesh, the father of a four-year-old son, needs an “endless list” of things to get his life back on track, starting with financial support.
In what was described as a “miracle”, Ramesh walked out alive from seat 11A amid the wreckage, but his brother did not survive. Months later, he says he is struggling to rebuild his life and is appealing for a welfare package to help him cope with the aftermath.
‘Existential threat’
In an interview with Sky News, Ramesh said he and his late brother had used all their savings to start a fishing business in India. The two frequently travelled between the UK and India to run the venture. Since the crash, however, the business has collapsed, leaving his family in Leicester without an income.
Leicester community leader Sanjiv Patel told the outlet that the situation poses an “existential threat” to Ramesh’s family.
Air India has offered Ramesh an interim payment of £21,500 (around ₹21.9 lakh), a one-off amount typically paid before the final settlement of a personal injury claim. However, Radd Seiger, a retired UK lawyer now serving as Ramesh’s spokesperson, said the sum “doesn’t even touch the sides” of what is needed, as Ramesh remains unable to work or even leave his home.
This includes help with taking his son to school, providing food, and covering medical and psychiatric care.
Seiger added that Ramesh’s family needs more than financial aid, saying compensation alone “reduces Vishwas to a number on a spreadsheet.” He urged Air India CEO Campbell Wilson to personally meet the family and “understand the gravity of their situation.”
“We need Air India to step forward and help put together a welfare package for Vishwas and his family,” Seiger told PTI.
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Air India's response
A Tata Group spokesperson told Sky News that the airline was “deeply conscious” of its responsibility to support Ramesh through what it described as an “unimaginable period.”
“Senior leaders from across Tata Group continue to visit families to express their deepest condolences,” the statement said. “An offer has been made to Ramesh’s representatives to arrange a meeting. We will continue to reach out and hope to receive a positive response.”
The spokesperson added that the company remained “keenly aware this continues to be an incredibly difficult time for all affected” and would continue to offer support and compassion “to the extent possible.”
The Air India crash
Ramesh was seated in 11A when the London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The aircraft hit a medical college hostel block, killing all passengers and crew on board, as well as 19 people on the ground.
He was the only survivor.
A preliminary report released in July by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) found that the fuel supply to the engines was cut off a few seconds after the plane took off.
