Brother of Air India crash survivor conducts funeral rites, following discharge from hospital.
In the devastating aftermath of a horrific plane crash, a tearful Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, discharged from the hospital after surviving the tragedy, carried his brother's coffin at a solemn funeral procession in Diu, India. The incident involved a Boeing 787 Dreamliner operated by Air India that plummeted to the ground minutes after takeoff from Ahmedabad, killing 241 passengers and crew members on board.
Overwhelmed with grief, Ramesh, a 40-year-old British national, had wounds from the accident still visible, with bandages covering his facial cuts and bruises. The brother he buried had been sitting merely a few rows away during their return trip to the U.K. after visiting family in India.
Clips of Ramesh stumbling from the smoke-filled crash scene have circulated widely on news channels and social media, offering a stark reminder of the catastrophe. Authorities working to identify the victims' charred remains noted the severe challenges presented by the high temperatures caused by burning fuel, leaving few chances for body retrieval.
As of the day after the tragedy, more than 150 bodies had already been delivered to mourning families across the country, with funerals taking place in various cities.
Investigators are delving into the wreckage, hoping to determine the cause of the disaster. Shortly before the crash, a mayday call was made to air traffic controllers from the cockpit. The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) have been successfully recovered and are undergoing analysis for vital insights into the accident.
India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is spearheading the investigation, with international assistance from entities like the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Concurrently, the Indian government has set up a separate committee to examine the crash's root causes.
Air India, the nation's flag carrier, reports conducting safety inspections on its entire Boeing 787-8/9 fleet, with 26 aircraft already cleared for service and the rest nearing completion. The airline has also reduced international widebody flights by 15% due to the ongoing checks and escalating conflicts in the Middle East.
As families continue to wane in sorrow at morgues, waiting for their loved ones' bodies, others endeavor to find solace in remembering their fallen kin. Grieving individuals in cities such as Mumbai have begun the solemn process of burying loved ones lost in the crash, including Javed Syed, his sister-in-law, nephew, and niece. Syed, who resides in London with his siblings, had not anticipated the tragic fate that would befall his family, who had been visiting from India.
Compelled by the unfathomable sorrow of losing his brother, Syed expressed his desperate hope that Javed would one day call, assuring him that he was somewhere safe.
- Beyond the sorrow of his own injuries, Ramesh now faces the reality of migration back to the UK, leaving behind the land of his late brother.
- Political debates on war-and-conflicts and policy-and-legislation in India are intensifying, as concern escalates over domestic airline safety.
- The general-news cycle is filled with stories of the plane crash, offering little respite from the grim reporting on crime-and-justice or accidents.
- As the European football season nears, football fans await updates from the premier-league, struggling to find solace amid the tragedy that occurred on Indian soil.
- Coverage of the Air India plane crash competes with other breaking news during the daily news cycle, including developments in ongoing Middle Eastern conflicts and their impact on car-accidents and politics.
- In light of the tragedy, discussions on European leagues and sports are secondary to concerns about air safety and the investigation into the causes of the Air India plane crash.
