'Ganpati Bappa Saved Me': Woman Misses Doomed Air India Flight By 10 Minutes
Last Updated:
Ahmedabad Plane Crash: Visibly shaken, Bhoomi Chauhan said, 'I am thankful to God. My Ganpati Bappa saved me.'
Bhoomi Chauhan, a woman who was supposed to be on Air India Flight AI171 to London, narrowly escaped death after missing the flight by just 10 minutes. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, killing over 200 people in one of India's worst aviation disasters.
Visibly shaken, Bhoomi Chauhan told Republic TV, 'I am thankful to God. My Ganpati Bappa saved me."
She was en route to Ahmedabad airport when she got stuck in traffic, arriving just too late to board the fatal flight.
'Just because of those ten minutes, I could not board the flight. I don't know how to explain this," she said.
The London-based passenger, who had been visiting India after two years, was scheduled to return alone to the UK.
'My body is literally shivering. I am not being able to talk," she said, still in shock after hearing the news of the crash. She continued, 'My mind is totally blank now after hearing all that has happened."
Ahmedabad Plane Crash
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, en route to London Gatwick, crashed just minutes after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, with 242 people on board. The aircraft plummeted into a doctors' hostel near a medical college, triggering a massive explosion and killing not only those onboard but also several people on the ground. Over 200 bodies have been recovered and rescue operations remain underway.
A single survivor emerged: Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British national, who was seated on 11A when the aircraft went down. Rescued by emergency responders from the wreckage, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh is currently undergoing treatment at Civil Hospital, Asarwa, with injuries to his chest, eyes and feet.
'There were bodies all around me… someone pulled me into an ambulance," he recounted.
About the Author
First Published:
June 12, 2025, 20:21 IST
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
17 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Black box recovered from crashed Air India aircraft; DGCA orders enhanced inspection of Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet
One of the two black boxes of the Air India flight that crashed on Thursday killing 265 people, including all people onboard except a miraculous survivor, has been recovered by the authorities on Friday. According to sources, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) team recovered one black box from the tail of the plane at the crash site outside the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport near the crowded Meghaninagar area in Ahmedabad, where the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft went down. The airline is yet to officially confirm the recovery of the black box. A black box is a small device that records information about an aircraft during its flight. It helps in the investigation of aviation accidents. Meanwhile, the DGCA on Friday ordered enhanced safety inspection of Air India's Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet, in the wake of the horrific incident. There are 26 Boeing 787-8s and 7 Boeing 787-9s in the fleet of Air India owned by Tata Group. The aviation watchdog has directed Air India to carry out additional maintenance actions on its Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 planes that are equipped with Genx engines with immediate effect. These actions will be carried out in coordination with the DGCA regional offices concerned. The aircraft carrying 242 people onboard, including 230 passengers and 12 crew members nosedived minutes after takeoff, crashing into the complex of the BJ Medical College in Meghaninagar, killing 265 people. One passenger survived the tragedy, while 241 on board, including 168 Indians, 53 British, seven Portuguese and one Canadian, were killed. The aircraft could be seen from afar, losing altitude rapidly and crashing in a ball of fire that sent plumes of thick black smoke spiralling up in the air. Four MBBS students and a doctor's wife were among those killed at the complex of BJ Medical College outside the airport perimeter.
Time of India
18 minutes ago
- Time of India
Brothers seated across the aisle — only one walks out alive from Air India 171 crash
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Seat 11A became a lifeline for Viswashkumar Ramesh . Just across the aisle in 11J sat his brother, Ajaykumar Ramesh. Within 30 seconds of takeoff, fate tore the two apart, reported Thursday afternoon, AI Flight 171 — bound for London — crashed moments after departing Ahmedabad. Viswashkumar, a British citizen, stumbled out of the burning wreckage. He is the only confirmed survivor. He now lies in bed 11 of ward B7 at Ahmedabad civil hospital . His brother Ajaykumar is feared to be among the 265 who lost their lives.'There was a loud noise,' Viswashkumar told his cousin Dhirendra Somabhai from his hospital bed. 'The plane hung mid-air. Then came the pilot's voice: 'Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!''Dhirendra told TOI Viswashkumar remembers only jumping through a door. 'Nothing more.'Video footage shows him staggering through debris, bloodied and in shock, crying out: 'Plane fatyo che! Plane fatyo che!' (The plane exploded). Locals and rescue workers rushed to pull him into an ambulance. At the hospital, he wept and kept repeating: 'Where is my brother? Leave me alone. I don't want to talk. Can anyone tell me where he is?'Officials sealed off his ward around 2:30 pm after confirming his identity. Gujarat ATS and Ahmedabad crime branch officers have since restricted brothers had lived in London for 15 years, jointly running a garment business in the UK and a fishing venture in Diu . They were among 15 residents from Diu's Bucharwada and Vanakbara villages on the friend Ayub Mansuri, who dropped them at the airport Thursday morning, said Viswashkumar's father in London was the first to call him with the news. 'I managed to speak to Viswash three times after the crash, but then his phone died,' he told the news outlet. 'I hired an auto and made my way past roadblocks to reach the hospital. He had head injuries and bruises.'Dhirendra recalled a brief conversation the night before. 'We were all in Patelwadi. Viswash looked at me and said, 'I don't know when we'll meet next.''Diu additional district magistrate Vivek Kumar confirmed that all 15 passengers from the region have been identified. 'Only one survived. A team from the Diu administration has left for Ahmedabad,' he told TOI.
Hans India
25 minutes ago
- Hans India
Instinct to live saved Ramesh by seconds, sole survivor of plane crash recounts horror
Ahmedabad: In a tragedy that claimed the lives of 241 passengers, only one man survived the Air India flight crash in Ahmedabad, Vishwas Kumar Ramesh. Currently undergoing treatment at Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad, Ramesh is reported to be in stable condition. He recounted the harrowing moments of the crash and his miraculous escape. "Everything burned before my eyes," said Ramesh, recalling how the aircraft abruptly halted for a few seconds during takeoff, only to suddenly lurch forward with the runway lights flashing green and white. 'It felt like the pilot struggled to lift the plane. Moments later, we slammed into a building. The entire plane turned into an inferno before I could process what was happening.' Ramesh was seated in the section of the aircraft that struck the lower portion of the hostel building. 'The part I was in hit the building first,' he said. 'I fell with my seat as the structure collapsed. Luckily, there was some open space in front of me, and I crawled out. But on the other side of the plane, there was a wall no one could escape. I saw two air hostesses and an elderly couple engulfed in flames. My left hand was burned. But I lived. A few seconds later, I might not have.' Ramesh, a resident of Leicester, UK, was travelling with his brother Ajay on flight AI-171 to London. His other brother, Nayan, confirmed that while Vishwas was safe and recovering, Ajay remains missing. 'We've spoken to Vishwas. He's in the hospital, but we still have no news of Ajay. We're holding onto hope,' he said. Meanwhile, the process of identifying victims from the tragic Air India Flight AI-171 crash continues at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, where bodies are being brought in for post-mortem examinations. As of now, five bodies have been identified and respectfully handed over to their families. These include two victims from Rajasthan, two from Bhavnagar, and one from Madhya Pradesh. Civil Hospital officials confirmed that DNA samples have been collected from 192 families so far. To support the identification process, a large team of 70 to 80 doctors, including those from PHCs and CHCs across Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Anand, and Nadiad, has been working around the clock in the post-mortem room since Thursday.
