Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, the sole survivor of the Air India flight AI171 crash that killed 242 people on board and at least 24 on the ground in Ahmedabad, spoke from his hospital bed on Friday, June 13, struggling to explain his miraculous escape from the fiery wreckage.

“Everything happened in front of me, and even I couldn’t believe how I managed to come out alive from that,” the British citizen, aged 40, told national broadcaster DD News in Hindi.

The Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, fully fueled for its long-haul flight to London, exploded into a burst of orange flames shortly after taking off on Thursday afternoon. Ramesh, reportedly seated in seat 11A, was the only person aboard the plane to survive. His brother was also on the same flight, his family in Britain confirmed to reporters.

Recounting the terrifying moments, Ramesh said, “Within a minute after takeoff, suddenly… it felt like something got stuck… I realized something had happened, and then suddenly the plane’s green and white lights turned on.” He continued, “After that, the plane seemed to speed up, heading straight towards what turned out to be a hostel of a hospital. Everything was visible in front of my eyes when the crash happened.”

He described initially believing he was “about to die” but then opened his eyes to find himself still alive. “I saw the air hostess and aunties and uncles all in front of me,” he recounted emotionally, using a term of respect for older individuals. “I unfastened my seatbelt and tried to escape, and I did.”

Ramesh believes his position on the side of the plane not facing the hostel, and the fortunate breakage of his door, provided him with a pathway out. “Where I landed was closer to the ground and there was space too – and when my door broke – I saw that there was space, and I thought I could try to slip out.” Social media videos captured Ramesh, limping and dressed in a bloodied t-shirt, walking towards an ambulance shortly after the crash. He is currently being treated for burns and other injuries.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Ramesh at the hospital on Friday.

Air India stated that the flight was carrying 169 Indian passengers, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian, along with 12 crew members. Police currently place the total death toll at 265. Authorities have initiated DNA testing for relatives to identify the scorched remains of victims from both the aircraft and the ground.

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