The family of Air India crash survivor Viswashkumar Ramesh has claimed that the airline “ignored or turned down” their invitation to meet them, despite repeated requests, BBC reports. Ramesh, the only survivor of the tragic June crash that killed 241 passengers on board, spoke to the UK media for the first time since returning to the country. Air India has since responded, saying it offered to arrange a meeting with Mr Ramesh’s representatives.
A London-bound Air India flight crashed mere minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad airport earlier this year. Only one passenger had survived the devastating crash and went through a grueling recovery process before returning to the UK.
[img=1px,1px]https://data.indianexpress.com/election2019/track_1x1.jpg[/img]Air India ignored meeting requests, says crash survivor’s family
According to Ramesh’s spokesperson, Radd Seiger, the family had invitedAir India representatives to meet them on three separate occasions, but each time, their request was ignored. He said the media interviews were a way to grab the airline’s attention and reissue that appeal for the fourth time, urging Air India to “sit down and try to put things right.”
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“It’s appalling that we are having to sit here today and putting him [Viswashkumar] through this,” Seiger said, according to the BBC. “The people who should be here are the executives of Air India, the ones responsible for alleviating this suffering.”
He added further, “Please come and sit down with us so that we can work through this together to try and alleviate some of this suffering.”
Air India’s response
Air India, which is owned by the Tata Group, had earlier responded saying that senior company leaders have been meeting families of victims to express condolences, and that an offer for a meeting with Mr Ramesh’s reps had already been made before the interviews aired.
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“An offer has been made to Mr Ramesh’s representatives to arrange such a meeting. We will continue to reach out, and we very much hope to receive a positive response,” it said.
Air India offered Ramesh an interim compensation of £21,500, which his team accepted, but said it’s far from enough to cover his medical and emotional needs. “He’s lost his brother, his livelihood, and his peace of mind,” said Seiger. “What he needs now is human compassion — not bureaucracy.”
The 39-year-old Ramesh from Leicester miraculously survived when the London-bound Boeing 787 crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad, India. The tragedy claimed some 241 lives, including passengers, pilots, crew, as well as 19 people on the ground.
Since the crash, Ramesh told UK media, he has been battling post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), physical pain, and emotional trauma. His advisers said he has been unable to return to work or even talk to his wife and four-year-old son. |
