Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, the only person to survive the June 12 crash of an Air India Boeing 787 near Ahmedabad, has not returned to his family in the United Kingdom as he continues to mourn his brother and receive treatment, relatives and legal representatives say.
Ramesh, 40, from Leicester, was seated in 11A on flight AI171, which crashed minutes after takeoff, killing 241 of the 242 people on board and 29 people on the ground. His wife and young son have returned to the UK, but Ramesh is reported to be remaining in India for medical care and to grieve the loss of his brother Ajay, who was sitting across the aisle and died in the disaster.
Two UK families who say they received remains that were mislabelled or commingled have written an open letter to Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, calling on her to demand answers from Indian authorities, the Times reported. In the letter, Miten Patel, son of Ashok and Shobhana Patel, and Tom Donaghey, brother of Fiongal Greenlaw‑Meek, said they had endured "unimaginable pain" after what they described as remains being "mishandled, mislabelled, commingled and in one devastating case, completely lost without any explanation or any sort of empathetic response regarding this whatsoever from the authorities in India."
Aviation lawyer James Healy‑Pratt, whose firm Keystone Law represents more than 20 British families of victims, said relatives were informed that at least one casket contained commingled remains and another contained the body of someone other than the named individual. Healy‑Pratt is investigating the identification mistakes, representing families at inquests, and pursuing legal action against Air India in the High Court in England and against Boeing in US courts. His firm has requested a written explanation from Air India, including on the role of contractors such as Kenyon International Emergency Services.
Healy‑Pratt told reporters he understands UK agencies were not given access to the DNA chain of custody at the site and that the identification process was handled by Indian authorities. He said that responsibility for the reported errors appears to lie with the officials who managed the post‑crash identification and repatriation in India.
The preliminary report from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau found that both of the aircraft’s fuel control switches moved to the cut‑off position immediately after takeoff, stopping fuel supply to the engine. The finding has prompted further scrutiny of whether the loss of fuel flow was accidental or deliberate; investigators in India and other jurisdictions continue to examine the sequence of events and technical evidence.
Ramesh sustained cuts to his face and chest injuries but escaped the wreckage after crawling through a hole in the fuselage near an emergency exit. Eyewitness accounts and footage show him attempting to return to the burning aircraft in an effort to rescue family members before being led away by emergency workers. He later carried his brother’s coffin at a funeral in Gujarat and has been reported to suffer nightmares and guilt over surviving when those close to him did not.
Relatives of other victims have expressed frustration at what they call a lack of transparency during the identification and repatriation process. The family of Akeel Nanabawa, his wife Hannaa Vorajee and their daughter Sara Nanabawa said they were confident they had received the correct bodies but criticised the "mishandling of such a sensitive process" and described it as indicative of broader failings in coordination between British and Indian authorities.
Most bereaved families have received interim compensation from Air India of about £21,500, the reports said. Ramesh may be entitled to additional compensation for physical injuries and psychological trauma, legal representatives added.
British officials have been approached for comment, and the Foreign Office has acknowledged concerns raised by families. It is not clear what concrete steps, if any, will be taken diplomatically to secure further information or remedial action from Indian investigators. UK lawyers representing victims say they will continue to press for full disclosure, accountability and assurances that identification and repatriation procedures are reviewed and corrected.
Investigations into the technical causes of the crash and into identification procedures are ongoing. Families and legal teams in both countries continue to seek clarity on how remains were managed and identified in the chaotic aftermath of the accident, and on the broader safety and procedural questions raised by the preliminary aircraft report.