Air India Crash: Sole Survivor Demands Meeting with Executives Amid PTSD, \’Appalling\’ Compensation Subheadline

The London-The sole survivor of the catastrophic Air India plane crash in June, which resulted in 241 fatalities, has broken his silence from his UK home in Leicester to call for accountability from the airline, while revealing the devastating personal cost of his \”miracle\” survival.

Viswashkumar Ramesh, 39, who lost his younger brother, Ajay, in the tragedy, disclosed that he is suffering from severe Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and debilitating physical injuries to his leg, shoulder, knee, and back.

\”I\’m suffering mentally… Every day is painful for the whole family,\” Mr. Ramesh stated, speaking publicly for the first time since returning to the UK.

Mr. Ramesh’s advisers, local community leader Sanjiv Patel and spokesman Radd Seiger, launched a scathing attack on Air India, claiming the airline has treated the survivor poorly since the crash.

The advisers confirmed the family has accepted an interim compensation payment of £21,500, but dismissed the figure as inadequate for Mr. Ramesh\’s immediate needs, which include medical care for his PTSD and physical injuries.

\”They\’re in crisis, mentally, physically, financially,\” Mr. Patel stated, noting that the fishing business Mr. Ramesh ran with his brother in India has since collapsed.

Mr. Seiger revealed the family had invited Air India for a meeting on three occasions, all of which were \”ignored or turned down.\” The current media interviews served as their fourth appeal to the airline\’s executive leadership.

The crash, which involved a London-bound Boeing 787, killed 169 Indian nationals and 52 Britons, as well as 19 people on the ground.

A preliminary report by India\’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau released in July indicated that the fuel supply to the engines was cut off just seconds after takeoff. The full investigation remains ongoing.

Air India, owned by the Tata Group, responded with a statement asserting that senior leaders continue to visit affected families and that care for Mr. Ramesh \”remains our absolute priority.\” The airline claimed that an offer to meet was extended to Mr. Ramesh\’s representatives prior to the BBC interviews and expressed hope for a \”positive response.\”