A touching video has surfaced on social media that shows the lone survivor of Air India flight AI-171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that crashed into the hostel building of BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad on June 12, joining the last rites of his brother, Ajay, and shouldering his mortal remains.
Ajay was among the 241 people on board the ill-fated plane flying to London from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Airport, which crashed within 32 seconds of take-off. His funeral was held today, and a heart-wrenching video of the ceremony has now surfaced on the internet.
Ramesh—seated in 11A, right next to the emergency exit—emerged as the miracle survivor of the Ahmedabad plane crash. The 40-year-old British-Indian had been admitted to the Civil Hospital with burn injuries.
Earlier this week, a new video from the crash site showed Ramesh walking away from the raging fire at the crash site.
Describing the moment of the plane crash, Ramesh had said, “A minute after take-off, it felt like the plane had got stuck. Then green and white lights came on. They (the pilots) tried to raise the plane, but it went full speed and crashed into the building.”
At least 190 victims of the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad have been identified through DNA matching so far, with 159 bodies handed over to their families, an official told news agency PTI on Wednesday.
Among the deceased was former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who was cremated with full state honours in the presence of his family and senior BJP leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
On Tuesday, the last rites of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal—the pilot-in-command of the ill-fated flight—along with senior crew member Aparna Mahadik and crew member Maithili Patil, were performed in their respective hometowns.