CNN
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Leave the hospital with injuries, the only survivor of last week’s Air India plane crash crash, carried his brother’s co-sole to perform his final ritual for a life lost in a fatal disaster.
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British citizen, appeared to have been overcome with grief as he led a funeral procession through the streets of the coastal town of Diu, West India on Wednesday.
Ramesh, who was discharged from the hospital a day ago, had bandages on his face from cuts and bruises after moving from the western city of Ahmedabad to London’s Gatwick airport, and after taking off last Thursday, AI171 had been bandaged to London’s Gatwick airport.
It is explained that how Ramesh escaped with some wounds is nothing more than a miracle.
“I don’t know how I survived,” he told Indian state broadcaster DD News while in the hospital, explaining that he released himself from his seat at 11A, the emergency exit, shortly after the crash, and left the scene.
“For a while I thought I was going to die, but when I opened my eyes I realized I was alive,” he said.
Sitting a few rows apart, he and his brother were back in the UK after spending several weeks visiting their family in India.
Ramesh’s videos stumbled from the crash are widely seen across news channels and social media. You can see flames swirling behind him, thick smoke rising high into the sky.
Authorities tasked with identifying the victim’s bodies explain how difficult the process can be. India’s Home Minister Amit Shah said the high temperatures from the burning fuel remained “no chance” to save passengers, saying the bodies were difficult to recognize.
The Boeing 787’s Dreamliner carried 125,000 liters. It was enough to continue the 10-hour flight from Ahmedabad to London, but within a minute after takeoff it crashed, plunging into the hostel for medical students, killing several people on the ground.
As of Thursday, health officials say more than 150 bodies have been handed over to loved ones and funerals are being held in various cities across the country.
Meanwhile, investigators are looking at the wreckage to determine what could have caused one of the worst air-clashes India has seen in decades.
Indian civil aviation authorities said a mayday call from the cockpit was made for air traffic control shortly before the crash.
Both the plane’s cockpit audio recorder and the flight data recorder, the Black Box, are analyzed for valuable clues that can help you determine the cause. India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is leading the crash investigation with support from the UK and the US and with Boeing officials.
The Indian government has also established another high-level committee to investigate what led to the crash. The committee plans to submit its preliminary investigation results within three months.
Air India, the country’s flagship airline, said on Wednesday it is conducting safety inspections on all of its Boeing 787-8/9 aircraft fleet.
“Of the total of 33 aircraft, inspections have been completed to 26, and these have been cleared for service, but the remaining inspections will be completed in the next few days,” the X’s statement said.
Meanwhile, ongoing testing and conflicts in the Middle East have reduced international services for widebody aircraft by 15%.
For several days, the victim’s family gathered near Morgue, gathering the bodies of their loved ones to find answers.
When Ramesh left the brothers on Wednesday, another family member about 160 miles south of Mumbai city had burials for the four members who fell crashed.
Imtiaz Ali Syed, 42, said Javed, step-sister, ne, nie, was on an Air India flight and he received the body from authorities in Ahmedabad and took her to the family’s hometown on Wednesday.
Javed and his family, who lived in London, were in Mumbai to visit their sick mother and celebrate Eid Al Ada, also known as Bakri Aid, Said told CNN. It was the first time in 15 years that Syed and his other three brothers have all joined together, he said.
Said’s sister, who also lives in the UK, visited a direct flight from Mumbai to London, he said. However, Javed and his family were on another flight via Ahmedabad.
He explained his distrust when he learned that Javed was on an unfortunate Air India plane. “Someone woke me up and said the plane had crashed in Ahmedabad and asked me to see what Javed was doing,” recalls Syed.
Syed considered his siblings to be “always available” for his family.
“He took care of my grandmother’s medicine. He took care of my mother. He will take care of our sister,” he said.
“In a week or 15 days or within a month, he may call,” Syed said. “Tell him somewhere.”
