The Air India plane crash's sole survivor, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, has revealed the terrifying moments that led to his miraculous escape from yesterday's disaster that claimed 241 lives.

"I don't know how I came out of it alive," the 40-year-old Londoner said from his hospital bed in Ahmedabad.

Ramesh described feeling the aircraft begin its descent immediately after take-off.

"It felt like the plane had got stuck," he recalled, explaining how pilots attempted to lift the jet before it "went full speed and crashed into the building".

Vishwash Kumar Ramesh was spotted walking away from the Air India crashNDTV

Ramesh witnessed the aircraft split apart on impact, with air hostesses and passengers dying "in front of my eyes".

His survival hinged on a stroke of fortune, as his seat 11A was positioned beside an emergency exit.

Ramesh explained: "The side where I was seated fell into the ground floor of the building.

"There was some space. When the door broke, I saw that space and I just jumped out."

The force of the collision had torn away the emergency door, helping Ramesh escape.

Whilst the main fuselage was crushed in the building's upper floors, Ramesh's section had collapsed onto the ground level.

He said: "There was a wall on the opposite side, but near me, it was open. I ran. I don't know how.

"When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran."

Ramesh, 40, was the only survivor from the crash

Fire had engulfed parts of the wreckage, burning his arm as he fled.

Remarkable footage captured near the crash site showed Ramesh limping away from the burning aircraft with visible injuries.

"Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital," he explained, describing his rescue from the devastation.

"For a while, I thought I was about to die. But when I opened my eyes, I saw I was alive. And I opened my seatbelt and got out of there," he said.

Dr Dhaval Gameti, who examined the survivor, reported that Ramesh arrived at hospital disoriented with "multiple injuries all over his body" but "seems to be out of danger".

Ramesh was the only survivor of the 242 on board

The flight was heading to London Gatwick from the city of Ahmedabad, with 242 people on board.

Air India has confirmed that 241 of the 242 people aboard the flight died in the crash. The airline offered "its deepest condolences to the families of the deceased".

The airline confirmed there were 169 Indian, 53 British, one Canadian and seven Portuguese passengers on board at the time of the crash. Police said the flight crashed into a hostel building for doctors.

Police in the area report the plane was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, with FlightRadar reporting the final "Mayday" signal being received "just seconds after take off".