The only passenger on an Air India flight who survived the crash in June says he considers himself the “luckiest person” in the world but is suffering physically and mentally.
Vishwashkumar Ramesh escaped from the wreckage of the London-bound flight but crashed in Ahmedabad just after take-off. 241 people were killed then.
Ramesh says it is a “miracle” he managed to escape, but says he lost everything because his younger brother Ajay was a few seats away from him on board and died in the crash.
According to his counsellors, Ramesh has struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder since returning home to Leicester. He is unable to speak to his wife and four-year-old son.
Flames engulfed the Boeing 787 when it crashed shortly after take-off in western India.
Wkl in India, recounting how he managed to unbuckle his seatbelt and get out of the wreckage. He was later visited in hospital by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Among the passengers and crew, 169 Indians and 52 Britons were killed, while 19 others died on the ground.
A preliminary crash report released in July by India’s Air Accident Investigation Bureau showed that fuel supply to the engines stopped seconds after takeoff.
The investigation is ongoing and the airline said its priority remains to look after Ramesh and the families affected by the tragedy.
The BBC interview is the 39-year-old man’s first conversation with the press since returning to the UK.
Several other news outlets were present during the interview, as well as a film crew that gasket.”
“I can’t say much. I think I’m suffering psychologically all night. Every day is painful for the whole family.”
Ramesh also spoke about the physical injuries he sustained when he came out of his seat 11A through a hole in the fuselage after the crash.
He says his leg, shoulders, knees and back hurt, and he has been unable to work or drive since the tragedy.
“I find it difficult to walk, I move very slowly, my wife helps me,” he says.
Ramesh was diagnosed with PTSD during treatment in India, but his counsellors say he has not received any medical treatment since returning home.
They describe him as lost and broken, with a long road of recovery ahead, and are demanding a meeting with Air India management, claiming the airline treated him nti.
A spokesman for the Sager family said they had invited Air India for a meeting three times and were ignored or refused all the time. The media interviews were an attempt to repeat the request for the fourth time, he added.
Sager also noted:
“It is terrible that today we have to make (Vishwashkumar – Redu) go through this again.”
“When in fact the Air India executives, the people responsible for getting things right, should be here”.
“Please come and talk to us so that we can work together to decide how to alleviate the suffering of the victims a little bit”.
The Tata Group-owned airline said in a statement that executives continue to visit the families to express their condolences.
“Mr Ramesh’s representatives have been asked to arrange such a meeting, we will continue to go obstructing journalists.