Bhoomi Chauhan experienced a close brush with disaster when heavy traffic caused her to miss her Air India flight to London by only 10 minutes. The 28-year-old business administration student from Bristol had been visiting her homeland in western India. She was set to board flight AI171, which tragically crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, claiming 241 lives on board along with more on the ground.
Chauhan arrived at the airport at 12:20 PM local time, just after boarding had begun. Despite having checked in online and holding a digital boarding pass for economy class seat 36G, she was denied boarding due to her late arrival. "When I missed the flight, I was dejected. Only thing that I had in mind was, 'If I had started a little early, I would have boarded the plane," she recounted.
Originally frustrated with her taxi driver for the delay, she and her companion decided to leave the airport and went for tea while they contemplated how to secure a refund for their ticket. It wasn't until this break that they received the heart-wrenching news that the plane had gone down shortly after takeoff.
Chauhan emphasized how miraculous it felt to have missed the doomed flight, reflecting on her experience with disbelief. Meanwhile, the ill-fated flight took off as scheduled but struggled to gain altitude, crashing just 30 seconds into the flight. This tragic incident resulted in the deaths of all but one passenger, who survived the crash and was treated in a nearby hospital.
As investigations continue and details emerge about the tragic losses, family members of those aboard the flight are left grieving and searching for answers. Emergency services were on the scene through the night as they cleared debris and searched for survivors. The collision not only turned into a personal tragedy for many families but also brought about critical inquiries regarding the safety measures in place for international flights.
