“It’s a miracle at least one of them survived."
A Leicester family is grappling with devastation and disbelief after a catastrophic Air India crash left one miraculously alive and another presumed dead.
Ajaykumar Ramesh and Viswash had been in India on a business trip before they boarded the doomed flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to Gatwick.
Viswash had been seated in 11A by the exit while his brother was sitting on the other side of the aisle in seat 11J.
Viswash managed to escape the wreckage, however, Ajaykumar is believed to have died.
From his hospital bed, Viswash has reportedly pleaded: “Find Ajay, you must find Ajay.”
The brothers’ younger sibling, Nayankumar Ramesh, said the family was heartbroken but clinging to the shock of one brother’s survival.
He told Daily Mail: “It’s a miracle at least one of them survived.”
Recalling the moment Viswash made contact, Nayankumar said:
“He said his plane had crashed and he couldn’t find anyone, we couldn’t believe it. There was blood running down his face.
“You can see in the picture that he has been injured. We’re flying out there tomorrow.”
Initially, hope remained that Ajaykumar had also made it out alive. His phone continued to ring, prompting a desperate search.
But confirmation from Air India that 241 of the 242 passengers on board had perished ended all hope.
Nayankumar said: “We’re so confused.
“We’re hoping he’s survived and been taken to hospital as well.
“It’s a miracle at least one of them survived.”
Viswash was flying to London, where he lives with his wife and child.
The brothers’ cousin, Ajay Valgi, also from Leicester, said the family’s anguish was intensified by the silence from Ajaykumar.
He said: “I’m feeling absolutely upset. He’s not just my cousin, he’s also one of my best friends as well.
“They were sitting next to each other, but we don’t know what happened to [Ajay]. We’re not doing well. We’re all upset.”
Footage captured the chaos as Viswash, injured and disoriented, was seen hobbling away from the burning debris.
Police found him in a residential neighbourhood of Gujarat and rushed him to a local hospital.
He had sustained injuries to his chest, eyes and feet. Despite being dazed, he gave a chilling account of the crash to local media.
Viswash revealed: “Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly.
“When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran.
“Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital.”
Officials say he managed to escape by jumping out of the emergency door. A doctor at the hospital said Viswash claimed the plane split in two before he was thrown clear and saw an explosion behind him.
One medic said: “He told us he had been on the plane that crashed, but no one believed him at first.”
According to Nayankumar, even Viswash remains unsure how he survived.
He said: “On the runway, my dad called him.
“And Viswash said, ‘Oh, we’re going to take off soon’. And then literally like two minutes later, he video called my dad as he crashed.
“He said, ‘Our plane’s crashed, I don’t know where my brother is. I don’t see any other passengers. I don’t know how I’m alive, how I exited the plane’.
“All he was worried about on the phone was telling us, ‘Find Ajay, you must find Ajay’.”
Viswash remains in hospital and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has met with him.
The Air India plane crashed shortly after take-off, hitting buildings in Ahmedabad, including a residential block housing doctors.
Police later confirmed that at least 260 people, including residents on the ground, had died.
Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, who had 8,200 hours of flight time, issued a final transmission:
“Mayday… no thrust, losing power, unable to lift.”
Video footage appears to show the crew struggling to control the aircraft in its final moments.
Experts suggest the Boeing 787 Dreamliner lost power at a critical moment, possibly due to a bird strike or rapid wind change, leading to a double engine stall.
The crash has raised questions over flight safety and emergency response, with authorities promising a full investigation.
For now, one family in Leicester remains suspended between relief and heartbreak, mourning a son lost and trying to comprehend how the other lived.
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