Sole survivor of Air India crash helps carry body of his brother

The sole survivor of the catastrophic Air India crash helped to carry his brother's flower-heaped coffin to a crematorium yesterday, six days after they both plummeted to the ground just after takeoff.

- Penelope MacRae

Still bandaged, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh broke into sobs and was consoled by relatives. He had been discharged from hospital on Tuesday.

Last Thursday, the 40-year-old Leicester-based businessman had been sitting with his brother, Ajay, on a London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner that crashed into a medical college hostel in Ahmedabad.

All 241 other passengers and crew onboard the flight died, as did at least 30 people on the ground, including five medical students.

Ramesh and his brother, who was sitting a few rows from him, had been heading back to the UK after a holiday with their family in India.

He escaped through a small space by his seat and stumbled through the flames and smoke into the arms of waiting rescuers.