A British national, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, has emerged as the sole survivor of a devastating Air India plane crash that claimed the lives of 241 passengers and crew shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on Thursday.

Ramesh, 40, who was seated in 11A on the London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, recounted the horrifying moment the aircraft plunged into a residential area just moments after lifting off.

“Thirty seconds after takeoff there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly,” Ramesh told the Hindustan Times from his hospital bed at the Civil Hospital in Asarwa, Ahmedabad.

The aircraft, which departed Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:38 p.m. local time (09:08 BST), crashed into the Meghani Nagar area, striking a medical college.

Videos from the scene captured a massive explosion followed by plumes of thick smoke, engulfing the neighborhood in chaos.

The crash site revealed the full scale of the devastation, but in a miraculous turn, Ramesh was found alive by local police combing the wreckage. “Initial reports suggested all passengers onboard had died,” officials stated, “but we confirmed one survivor.”

Among the 242 people on board were 53 British nationals. Ramesh, a UK resident for the past 20 years, had been visiting family in India. His brother, Nayan Kumar Ramesh, speaking from the family’s home in Leicester, shared the family’s shock and disbelief.

“We were just shocked as soon as we heard it. I last spoke to him yesterday morning. We’re devastated, just devastated. He said, ‘I have no idea how I exited the plane,’” Nayan, 27, told reporters.

Another relative added, “He’s doing well I think. It’s a big shock. I don’t have many words to describe the incident.”

While investigations into the cause of the crash are ongoing, the survival of Ramesh amid such destruction is being described as nothing short of miraculous.

Authorities continue to recover remains and assess the wreckage, as grieving families await answers. The airline and aviation regulators have yet to release further details on the cause of the crash.