Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, the sole survivor of the devastating Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, India, has described his survival as nothing short of a "miracle." The 40-year-old British national was aboard the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, bound for London Gatwick, when it crashed shortly after takeoff on Thursday, killing 241 passengers and crew, as well as at least eight people on the ground.

Speaking from his hospital bed, Ramesh recounted the terrifying moments leading up to the crash. He said the lights inside the aircraft began flickering shortly after takeoff, and within seconds, it felt like the plane was "stuck in the air." According to Ramesh, the lights flickered green and white before the aircraft "suddenly slammed into a building and exploded." The plane crashed into a building used as accommodation for doctors at the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College and Civil Hospital.

Ramesh, who was seated in seat 11A, next to an emergency exit, miraculously survived the impact. He managed to unbuckle himself and escape through an opening in the fuselage. "I managed to unbuckle myself, used my leg to push through that opening, and crawled out," he told Indian state media DD News. He believes the section of the plane he was in landed near the ground and avoided direct impact with the building, which aided his escape. "When the door broke and I saw there was some space, I tried to get out of there and I did. No one could have got out from the opposite side, which was towards the wall, because it crashed there."

Video footage circulating on social media showed Ramesh walking towards an ambulance, smoke billowing in the background. He expressed disbelief at his survival, stating, "I saw people dying in front of my eyes – the air hostesses, and two people I saw near me. For a moment, I felt like I was going to die too, but when I opened my eyes and looked around, I realised I was alive. I still can't believe how I survived. I walked out of the rubble."

Dr. Dhaval Gameti, who treated Ramesh at Ahmedabad's Civil Hospital, said he was "disoriented, with multiple injuries all over his body" but that he appeared to be "out of danger." According to reports, Ramesh suffered "impact injuries" to his chest, face, and feet.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the crash site and the hospital to meet with Ramesh and the families of the victims. He described the scene of devastation as "saddening." UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer also expressed his condolences, calling the scenes from Ahmedabad "absolutely devastating."

Authorities are investigating the cause of the crash. One of the "black boxes" – either the flight data recorder or the voice recorder – has been recovered from the wreckage, marking an important step forward in the investigation. Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, the Indian Union Minister of Civil Aviation, said this would significantly aid the enquiry into the incident.

The Air India flight carried 242 people, including 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian national, along with 12 crew members. The crash also claimed the lives of at least eight people on the ground, including medical students and staff at the hospital.