Thursday afternoon brought Leicester, UK, resident Ramesh Bhalaiya a news no parent would ever wish to receive. The 52-year-old learnt that the Air India plane that was bringing two of his sons, Viswashkumar and Ajay, back to London had crashed seconds after take-off in Ahmedabad. Visuals from the crash scene gave little hope for survival of any passenger; early reports, marked by uncertainty and speculation, only added to the distress. Bhalaiya thought his worst fears had come true.
But then, he got a video call. It was his oldest son, Viswash. “He was breathing heavily. He told me that the flight had crashed and Ajay was nowhere to be seen. There was smoke everywhere. He told me that somehow he managed to exit the crashed flight structure. Then, the phone got disconnected…” Bhalaiya says during a phone call with The Indian Express on Friday.
As the day wore on, and it became clear that the chances of Ajay’s survival were slim, a pall of gloom descended over the family.
“Our entire family was shocked. Ajay’s wife and children started crying. I was also devastated but as an elder member of the family, I had to control my feelings and console them. Later in the afternoon, I again called up Viswash who told me that he had been admitted to the hospital with minor injuries. He then gave us the news about the death of Ajay…” says Bhalaiya.
The Bhalaiyas are a family of fisherfolk in Patelwadi village of Diu town in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. Bhalaiya and his wife are Portuguese passport holders who moved to London around 20 years ago. “After 10 years, they got British citizenship,” says Jigar Chunilal, Bhalaiya’s nephew, who is looking after Viswash at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital.
Like every year, the Bhalaiyas had come down to Diu in September last year during the fishing season. While the rest of the family flew back to the UK in January, Viswash and Ajay stayed behind to wrap up some work.
In Leicester, the brothers work at different garment firms.
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The fateful day of June 12 began as normal for the family, Bhalaiya recalls. “I was in contact with Viswash who informed us that the flight had taken off from the runway. But after a few minutes, I got another call…”
In an interview to Doordarshan, following a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, Viswash, 39, says he was able to escape because on his side of the window, “the door broke and there was some space to get out and escape”.
“Everything happened in front of my eyes; I am unable to believe how I came out of this alive. For a brief moment, I thought I was going to die, but when I opened my eyes, I realised I was alive. I unbuckled my seat belt, and got out from wherever I could,” says Viswash as he recalls how he saw “an air hostess and other passengers die” in front of him.
Viswash was on seat 11A while Ajay, 45, was on 11J.
‘It felt like the aircraft was stuck’
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Describing the sequence of events, Bhalaiya tells DD, “After takeoff, suddenly, for 5-10 seconds, it felt like the aircraft was stuck; then, the green and white lights came on inside the plane… then while picking up speed for take-off, it crashed into the building. On my side, where the door broke, there was some space. So, I tried to get out and succeeded. On the other side, perhaps because there was the wall of the building, people could not get out. I don’t know how I escaped… an ambulance brought me here to the hospital.”
Viswash’s parents and two other brothers, Nayan and Sunny, are on their way back from Leicester.
On Friday, in an interview to NBC News, Nayan is heard saying, “It is a miracle, he (Viswash) has survived. No miracle for my other brother… I have no words to say. Like, I am scared to fly now, to even sit on the plane.”
At the hospital, Viswash is nursing burn injuries on his left hand, swelling on his face, and minor injuries on his head. “The doctors told us that his condition is stable and he will recover soon. He is regularly being taken for dressings for the burn injuries,” says his cousin Jigar, 30, who reached Ahmedabad on Thursday night.
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Elaborating on the family’s Diu connection, Jigar says, “They own two boats, and during their stay, they also venture out into the sea for fishing. The fishing season lasts for three months, after which they return to London and continue their jobs at the garment firms. They have hired a Tandel (fishermen) family from our village which looks after their boats in their absence.”
Patelwadi sarpanch, Deepak Solanki, says over 40 families from the village are settled in London and other countries. “The (Bhalaiya) family is humble and has a good reputation in the village. They regularly donate funds for the development of the village apart from religious events,” he adds.
Sunny, Viswash’s sibling, says the family will land in Gujarat on Saturday morning. “We have to perform Ajay’s last rites.”
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