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June 23, 2025

Anna Murray 

The sole survivor of the June 12 Air India disaster, which claimed the lives of 241 passengers, is Viswashkumar Ramesh. At a funeral in western India, Ramesh—a British citizen—helped bury his brother, who died in the crash. He broke down in tears when his brother’s body was returned to their hometown of Diu.

Ramesh had been discharged from the hospital the previous day, his face still bandaged from cuts and bruises. On June 12, just seconds after takeoff, Air India Flight AI171—en route from Ahmedabad to London’s Gatwick Airport—plunged to the ground.While recovering in the hospital, Ramesh described how he managed to survive: sitting in emergency exit seat 11A, he unbuckled himself and escaped the wreckage moments after the crash.