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His story is nothing short of a miracle, but the sole survivor of the Air India plane crash has said his astonishing escape was a combination of fortune and quick decision-making in identifying a crucial space amidst the wreckage and acting fast.

Vishwas Kumar Ramesh, the 40-year-old British businessman from Leicester, reportedly landed on loose soil piled up in a narrow gap between two buildings when the flight crashed into the residential quarters of the BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad. The video in which he can be seen walking out of the campus amid utter devastation has gone viral.

One of the worst aviation tragedies in India, the crash killed 241 passengers and crew members on board the London-bound flight. Only Vishwas Kumar Ramesh survived, seated on 11A close to the emergency door on the left side of the ill-fated Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Top sources told India Today TV that Ramesh landed in the narrow gap between two buildings where loose soil had been piled up, cushioning his fall and saving his life. There was an internal explosion after the aircraft crashed into the building, and many have said he could not have escaped unscathed.

But his survival is now being attributed to the spot he landed on. In fact, he has told DD News in an interview that the portion of the plane where he was seated fell on the ground floor of the hostel premises.

Luckily, the portion of the plane where I was seated fell on the ground floor of the hostel premises after the plane crash-landed. When I saw that the door of the plane was broken, I told myself, ‘I can try and get out’. Eventually, I got out of the plane," Ramesh said.

‘SAW PEOPLE DYING’

Ramesh was treated at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi met him during his visit to the city. He was discharged from the hospital so he could attend the cremation of his deceased brother, who was flying with him on the same aircraft.

“I believe that others could not escape because there was a wall on that side (of the hoste),) while there was a small gap where I was sitting. I still can’t believe how I survived the crash because I saw people dying in front of my eyes," he told DD News.

He added, “Though I managed to escape, my left hand was burned as the plane caught fire after the crash. I walked out of the air, and then an ambulance brought me to the hospital."

In a viral video shot by a resident immediately after the crash, he can be seen walking towards the ambulance after getting hurt in the crash.

“It all happened in front of my eyes. I cannot believe how I survived…For a brief moment, I felt I was about to die, but when my eyes opened, I was alive. I unbuckled myself from the seat and exited from an opening," he said.
Police have confirmed that at least 265 people, including those on the ground, were killed in the tragedy. Four MBBS students and a doctor’s wife were among those killed at the complex of BJ Medical College located outside the airport perimeter.