The family of Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, the only survivor of the Air Indian crash involving over 200 passengers, are caught in a bittersweet situation following the loss of another family member in the unfortunate incident.
Ramesh, a 40-year-old United Kingdom-based Indian, is believed to be the only person who survived the crash when the Air India Flight 171 plunged from the sky and rammed into a residential building in the northern Indian city of Ahmedabad on Thursday, June 12, 2025.
The aircraft had on board 242 passengers and crew, including 53 British citizens. However, among the people aboard the ill-fated flight was Ajay Kumar Ramesh, brother of the sole survivor.
Speaking to AFP outside the family home in central Leicester on Friday, the deceased cousin, Hiren Kantilal, 19, conveyed the family’s mixed feelings over the fatal crash.
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“We are happy Vishwash has been saved, but on the other hand we are just heartbroken about Ajay,” the survivor’s cousin said.
Air India crash horror for Ramesh’s family
The Gatwick Airport-bound Air India’s flight 171 issued a mayday call and crashed immediately after leaving Ahmedabad, the central city of India’s Gujarat state, around 1:40 pm (0810 GMT) Thursday.
The plane crashed into a building occupied by doctors and their families in a crowded residential area of Ahmedabad, a city home to about eight million people. Officials said at least 24 people were killed on the ground.
Ajay and Vishwash were returning to the UK after a few weeks on holiday in India. Unfortunately, their family got the news of the incident while waiting to go and pick them up at the Gatwick Airport.
According to Kantilal, the survivor called his father shortly after the crash to say he was alive.
“Our plane has crashed,” Ramesh reportedly said.
“He was bleeding all over him, in the face and everything, and he said, ‘I am just waiting for my brother and I don’t know how I get out of the plane’.
“He said, ‘Do not worry about me, try to find out about Ajay Kumar’ and he said, ‘I am totally fine’,” the cousin narrated.
Kantilal added that Vishwash waited for about 10 to 15 minutes seeking his brother before he was whisked away to the hospital by the rescue services.
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Ramesh, his wife and son live not far away from his parents’ house in a small Leicester Street, while Ajay also lived in the town. The two brothers ran a confectionery business together.
“They are wonderful people and heartful people. They are the greatest men I have ever seen in my life, both of them,” Kantilal stated.
