The lone survivor of the Air India plane crash that resulted in the deaths of 270 people - including 241 fellow passengers - has revealed the exact steps he took to escape the burning wreckage.
On June 12, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner operating as Flight AI171 took off from Ahmedabad bound for London Gatwick.
Less than a minute into the flight, it crashed into residential buildings near the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College and Civil Hospital, killing nearly everyone onboard - including 53 British nationals, 169 Indian nationals, and several others from Portugal and Canada - as well as dozens on the ground.
But one man named Vishwash Kumar Ramesh survived the tragedy.
The 40-year-old British national from Leicester was seated in 11A, right beside an emergency exit near the aircraft’s structural “wing box” - a spot aviation experts say could have made all the difference.
Speaking from a hospital bed in Asarwa, Ahmedabad, Ramesh explained how he survived: "Thirty seconds after takeoff, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly," per Hindustan Times.
“When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran. There were pieces of the plane all around me. Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital," he added.
He described lights inside the aircraft flickering green and white before the jet felt “stuck in the air” and then “suddenly slammed into a building and exploded".
In another interview, Ramesh revealed that he managed to unbuckle himself and then used his leg to push through the opening and crawl out. The opening, possibly a dislodged exit door or rupture in the fuselage, was near the ground, giving him a narrow path to freedom.
“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,” he added.
Footage from the crash site shows him walking away from the wreckage, covered in blood, dazed but alive.
“I saw people dying in front of my eyes - the air hostesses, and two people I saw near me,” he said. “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, treating Ramesh at the hospital, said: “He was disoriented, with multiple injuries all over his body. But he seems to be out of danger.”
Tony Cable, a former senior inspector of air accidents, said Ramesh should “buy a lottery ticket straight away," The Guardian reported.
The aircraft “was pretty nose up when it hit the buildings,” Cable explained. That angle may have spared the area around 11A from the worst of the impact.
Professor John McDermid of the University of York said Ramesh’s seat was likely in one of the strongest parts of the plane. “There is not just the fuselage, but the extra structure of the wing to protect from the compression of the fuselage.” The lack of a seat in front of him may have also prevented head trauma.
Fire safety expert Professor Ed Galea added: “He was a very, very unlucky man being on that airplane, but he was also a very, very lucky man being able to get out.”
Galea’s studies show that passengers sitting within five rows of an exit have a much higher survival chance. “If he hadn’t got out in a very few seconds, he would have been unlikely to make it out because of the fireball,” McDermid said.
The aircraft was fully fueled for the long-haul flight to London, and that jet fuel appears to have ignited immediately upon impact.
Outside the family home in Leicester, Ramesh’s brother Nayan told news outlets that they: “were just shocked as soon as we heard it," adding: "I last spoke to him yesterday morning. We’re devastated, just devastated. He said, ‘I have no idea how I exited the plane,’” cited by The Mirror.
“He’s got some injuries on his face. He was painted in blood… He’s doing well, I think. It’s a big shock. I don’t have many words to describe the incident,” another relative said.
Ramesh’s cousin Ajay Valgi told BBC News: “He only said that he’s fine, nothing else.” The family confirmed Ramesh was sitting next to his older brother Ajay on the flight, who is still unaccounted for. “We’re not doing well. We’re all upset… I feel absolutely upset, he’s not just my cousin, he’s my brother, he’s my best friend as well.”
Indian investigators are now working to determine what caused the crash. Officials have recovered the black box and are examining flight data. Boeing released a statement saying that they are aware of the reports and are working to gather more information.
In a national address, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: “The loss of so many lives in such a sudden and heartbreaking manner is beyond words. Condolences to all the bereaved families. We understand their pain and also know that the void left behind will be felt for years to come. Om Shanti.”
As officials search for answers, Ramesh remains the lone survivor in a tragedy that claimed hundreds.