Latest news with #Viswash
Time of India
25-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
The man who lived battles survivor's guilt
Ahmedabad: On June 12, as London-bound flight AI 171 lifted off from Ahmedabad airport, Viswashkumar Ramesh and his younger brother Ajay exchanged a final wave from seats 11A and 11J. Minutes later, the plane plummeted into the BJ Medical College hostel and mess in Meghaninagar, killing 241 people on board, including Ajay. Only Viswash lived. Now back in his hometown of Bucharwadi in Diu, survival offers him no comfort. The 40-year-old businessman from Leicester reportedly battles sleeplessness. He barely speaks as he drifts through the days, lost in grief, questions and survivor's guilt. Though back with family, Viswash remains haunted by what he lived through, and more so, by who didn't. "He keeps asking: why only me? If I lived, why not my brother and the others?" shares Sunny Ramesh, youngest of the four siblings. The survivor's trauma runs deep. Sunny says Viswash has been "unable to sleep" since the tragedy. "How can anyone sleep if their younger brother dies like this? When Viswash realized that he had survived, he thought that Ajay must have made it too. He was shattered when he found out that he was the sole survivor. He is having a tough time accepting this fact," he adds. Even as his miraculous survival made global headlines, the family has shielded him from visitors and media, avoiding talk of the crash. "We avoid asking questions about the plane crash due to his mental state. He's not ready for questions so we have kept him away from others. Right now, our only goal is to help him heal," Sunny said. When the plane crashed, Viswash was the only person who got thrown from the emergency exit window. And by sheer chance, he landed on a mound of soil deposited near the hostel building for construction work. You Can Also Check: Ahmedabad AQI | Weather in Ahmedabad | Bank Holidays in Ahmedabad | Public Holidays in Ahmedabad While Viswash's body survived, his mind remained trapped in that moment, says Sunny. "He is unable to forget those harrowing moments in which he lost Ajay. He is also haunted by the deaths of the other passengers," he adds. Meanwhile, police have not yet taken Viswash's statement, and Sunny says his brother will not be in any condition to provide one until he has fully recovered, both mentally and physically.
Time of India
19-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Mound of soil cushioned my fall, says sole survivor Viswash
AHMEDABAD: Agony and trauma were writ large on the bandaged face of Viswashkumar Ramesh - the lone survivor of the devastating June 12 that killed all other 241 people on board - as he shouldered his younger brother Ajay's bier on his final journey at their ancestral Bucharwada village in the Union Territory of Diu on Wednesday. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Villagers present at Ajay's cremation said Viswash broke down multiple times, weighed down by the emotional burden. Even as his miraculous survival has left the world awestruck, Viswash is still processing the death of his younger brother Ajay, who was seated in the same row on the ill-fated Ahmedabad-London (Gatwick) flight AI 171. Viswash, a 40-year-old businessman from Leicester, was occupying seat number 11A, a window seat, while Ajay was on 11J. Recounting his harrowing experience to police, who questioned him as part of the investigation before he was discharged from Ahmedabad Civil Hospital on Tuesday evening, Viswash said the emergency door near his seat blew off and he was thrown out and landed on the mound of sand between the hostel and the mess buildings. "Initially, I thought I was dead," he recalled. "But then, I noticed a gap near the fuselage, managed to unbuckle my seatbelt and used my leg to push myself out, crawling through the opening." Authorities noted that the mound of soil cushioned Viswash's fall, sparing him from severe injuries. The area was undergoing maintenance and the soil had been left for landscaping. TNN
Indian Express
18-06-2025
- Indian Express
For crash survivor, a difficult journey: Carrying his brother's coffin
As the funeral procession wound through the narrow mud paths of the coastal village of Patelwadi in Diu, Viswashkumar Ramesh Bhalaiya broke down multiple times. He and his brother Nayan were shouldering the coffin of their sibling, Ajaykumar Ramesh Bhalaiya, who had died in the Air India crash on June 12. Viswash, who was on seat 11A of the London-bound flight, limped out of the wreck as a wall of fire and smoke billowed behind him. Ajay, his younger brother, was on seat 11J. The body was cremated on the outskirts of the village, with a large number of people in attendance. In the early hours of Wednesday, at 2.10 am, morgue officials in Ahmedabad had handed Ajay's body to his family after DNA matching. Just hours earlier, at 7.30 pm on Tuesday, Viswash had been discharged from the Ahmedabad Civil hospital. Ajay, like Viswash, was a British national based in Leicester. Their family members — father Rameshbhai and his wife, and brothers Nayankumar and Sunnykumar — had arrived in Ahmedabad from the UK a couple of days back to claim Ajay's body and take Viswash home. Medical Superintendent Dr Rakesh Joshi said: 'Viswash is absolutely fine, his family has been here since the day before yesterday. They took him away.' He said the hospital had offered the family help in taking them to their home in the Union Territory of Diu, and the airline had offered hotel rooms. The family members, however, made their own arrangements. Nayan, it is learnt, rode in the ambulance with Ajay's coffin. Viswash remained in touch with him throughout the road trip from Ahmedabad to Diu. On Wednesday morning, along with the mandated police escort, they arrived in Diu's Patelwadi village. A large number of people, including relatives, villagers and people from neighbouring villages, were waiting as an inconsolable Viswash entered the family house, its bright pink verandah pillars seemingly paling in the gloom. A garlanded photograph of Ajay was kept on a table with a burning lamp and flowers. A canopy had been erected for mourners in the courtyard. Patelwadi village sarpanch Deepak Devji said, 'Rameshbhai, his wife and his sons Nayankumar and Sunnykumar had come down from London along with Ajaykumar's wife. The most affected person was Viswashkumar. We tried to control and console him. Ajay had two daughters, and they both died around three years ago in London due to illness. They were four and five years old.' Ajay's wife, it is learnt, was admitted to a hospital on Tuesday after her condition deteriorated because of the grief and shock. She was discharged on Wednesday and was brought back home before the body of her husband arrived.
Time of India
18-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
AI 171 lone survivor discharged, performs last rites of his brother
Ahmedabad: Viswashkumar Ramesh, the lone survivor of the recent Air India 171 plane crash in which all the other 241 people on board were killed, performed the last rites of his younger brother Ajay at their ancestral Bucharwada village in the Diu Union territory. Life's irony and agony were writ large on Viswash's bandaged face as he, whose survival left the world awestruck, processed the death of his younger brother seated in the same row on the ill-fated flight. Viswash, a 40-year-old businessman from Leicester, was seated in seat 11A while Ajay occupied seat number 11J. By a miracle that reiterated belief in Providence, Viswash was the only passenger to walk out alive from the crash site, even as his brother was burnt to death in the plane inferno. The video of him stumbling out of residential hostel gates, even as fire raged behind him, went viral internationally since June 12. Villagers present at the cremation ceremony said that Viswash shouldered his brother's bier on his final journey and broke down multiple times. Viswash's father, Ramesh Bhalia, lit Ajay's pyre, even though the whole family remained present in grief, bidding farewell to the departed soul. "Viswash, along with the father, broke down multiple times during the final rites. Rameshbhai had four sons. Even as the family could not thank God enough for Viswash's miraculous survival, they were heartbroken at losing Ajay," said a relative of the Bhalia family. "Despite his own grief, he was seen comforting other relatives at the cremation," the relative added. A family member, Dhiru Soma, said that Viswash is deeply shaken and has not been able to accept the loss. "He is not relieved to have survived. He feels more pain over his brother's death," he said. "Viswash, including his parents and two brothers, travelled to Gujarat after the crash. His entire family was present in the funeral procession, which was taken out from Patelwadi to Koli Samaj crematorium," sarpanch Dipak Devjibai said. Before leaving the hospital, Viswash was questioned by a team from the city crime branch about the crash and his experience during the incident. Officials are looking into survivor accounts as part of the investigation. According to a family source, many relatives and community members wore white caps during the condolence gathering. The family belongs to the Koli Patel community. Prayers were offered for the departed, and they expressed gratitude for Viswash's survival. Relatives said that Viswash is under extreme mental stress and is struggling to speak or express himself. The family continues to support him as he deals with the emotional aftermath of the crash.
Time of India
16-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Father's Day turns into nightmare for Air India crash survivor's dad as he collects younger son's body
On a day meant for family, Father's Day turned into an unimaginable tragedy for Ramesh Bhaliya . Instead of receiving his sons' warm wishes, the London-based businessman arrived in Ahmedabad on Sunday to collect the body of his youngest son, Ajaykumar, who passed away in the recent AI 171 plane crash , TOI reported. His elder son, Viswash, was the lone survivor in the fatal crash and is now recovering in a city hospital. Both brothers, British citizens originally from Diu 's Bucharwada village, had returned to India on a business trip. They had built their lives abroad for years, running a garment business in the UK and a boat business in Diu. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 後悔得要死，有斑點看起來老10歲！只需塗萬寧的「這個」就好 雪之上 了解更多 Undo 'Ramesh is in no state to talk to anyone. He is still grappling with the tragedy,' TOI quoted Deepak Devji, village sarpanch from Diu who accompanied the family to Ahmedabad, as saying. With no other immediate family members present, Ramesh is staying in a hotel near the hospital, while a close friend remains by Viswash's side during his recovery. Also Read: Air India crash triggers delays as airspace closures, Dreamliner checks disrupt global flight schedules Live Events The two brothers sat close to each other on the ill-fated AI 171, Viswash in seat 11A, right next to the emergency exit, and Ajaykumar across the aisle in seat 11J. Moments after takeoff, the plane crashed. Viswash managed to escape the burning wreckage while his younger brother lost his life instantly. A video captured by rescue workers shows Viswash stumbling through debris, bleeding and in shock, repeatedly crying, ' Plane fatyo che! Plane fatyo che!' (The plane has exploded). Locals and rescue teams rushed him into an ambulance. Also Read: Lone survivor of Air India flight 171 crash calls family: 'I don't know how I am alive' The Bhaliya brothers were among 15 residents from Diu's Bucharwada and Vanakbara villages on board the flight.
