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Vishwas Kumar lone survivor in Air India crash, his brother dies
At his home in Leicester, central England, however, Vishwas Kumar Ramesh’s family oscillated between joy at his escape and grief at the loss of his brother.
The photo of Viswash Kumar Ramesh, bruised and battered, limping away from the debris of the Air India flight that crashed seconds after take-off in Ahmedabad on Thursday has become one of the defining images of India’s worst aviation disaster in a decade.
At his home in Leicester, central England, however, Ramesh’s family oscillated between joy at his escape and grief at the loss of his brother. “We are happy Viswash has been saved, but on the other hand we are just heartbroken about Ajay,” Hiren Kantilal, Ramesh’s cousin, said.
Ajay was also on the same flight seated on 11J while Ramesh was on 11A. Their younger brother, Nayan, said the two were on the return journey home after a vacation in India.
“Luckily, the portion of the plane where I was seated fell on the ground floor of the hostel premises after the plane crash-landed. When I saw that the door of the plane was broken, I told myself I can try and get out,” said Ramesh.
A spokesperson from Downing Street confirmed that the UK Foreign Office has been in contact with Ramesh to offer consular support.
Apart from Ramesh and Ajay, there were 51 other British nationals on the Air India flight. Of them, Hardik Avaiya, 27 and Vibhooti Patel, 28, have been identified as the victims.
Avaiya and Patel, both Leicester residents, had gone to India to celebrate their engagement.
Arjun Patoliya, who went to India to fulfil his wife’s dying wish to immerse her ashes in Narmada, was among the victims. “Her wish was that the ashes must be submerged in Narmada River,” said a member of the Indian Gujarati community who did not wish to be identified.
Patoliya is survived by his two daughters, aged four and eight. The two girls were in London at the time of the crash.
In Wellingborough, an English town 65 miles from London, mayor Raj Mishra condoled the death of Raxa Modha, 55, who accompanied her husband Kishor to India. “Kishor wanted to be in his hometown in his final days. He died on April 26, and Raxa, along with her daughter-in-law and grandson, was returning to UK,” a person aware of the matter said.
The Muslim Community in Gloucester paid tributes to Akeel Nanabawa, who along with his wife and four-year-old child, were killed in the crash.
The Indian High Commission in London has been receiving several queries from family members and relatives of those affected regarding visas to India. “We are facilitating it all at the high commission,” said an official.
