In brief
The emotional story of Aryan Asari, who filmed the disaster, reveals the psychological toll of witnessing such a horrific event.
The roar of flying planes had always fascinated 17-year-old Aryan Asari, an aviation enthusiast known for darting outside his home in Ahmedabad to catch sight of aircraft navigating the sky. But last Thursday, that fascination turned to horror as Aryan witnessed an Air India Dreamliner 787-8 crash just moments after takeoff, claiming the lives of 241 individuals onboard and nearly 30 more on the ground. While filming, Aryan spotted the plane wobbling ominously before it plummeted from the sky, engulfing the area in flames. The shocking video he captured has now become an invaluable piece of evidence for investigators trying to determine the crash's cause. "I saw the plane going down. Then it crashed right before my eyes," Aryan recounted in an interview with BBC Gujarati.The aftermath of the tragic incident has rocked Aryan's world, thrusting him into the public eye as media outlets swarm his family's home seeking interviews. "We have been overwhelmed with requests," said his father, Maganbhai Asari. The traumatic events have caused Aryan to withdraw, with his father stating that he has even stopped using his phone due to the overwhelming fear and negativity stemming from the catastrophe.The Asari family has lived in an airport-adjacent neighborhood, where Aryan recently accompanied his sister to the city for her entrance exams. It was here, during a brief moment of excitement on the terrace, that Aryan unwittingly became a witness to one of India's deadliest aviation disasters. On that fateful day, Aryan stepped outside to film a video for his friends when he noticed the plane behaving erratically. Trapped in a state of shock as he filmed, Aryan eventually recognized the gravity of the situation when smoke and flames suddenly filled the air. Frantically, he called his father, who reassured him during the frightening ordeal.In the wake of the crash, Aryan's life has taken a harrowing turn. Reporters and neighbors began flooding their home, and the police needed to interview him about his experience. The overwhelming attention forced the family to retreat to their ancestral village to relieve Aryan of the trauma.Although Aryan has resumed school, the emotional scars remain. "His mother says every time his phone rings, he gets scared," Mr. Asari shared, acknowledging the lasting impact of what his son has gone through. As he stated, "I know he will be fine with time, but I don't think my son will try looking for airplanes in the sky again."
