"Where Do We Go?" Ahmedabad Crash Strikes Fear In People Living Near Airports
New Delhi:
Densely populated pockets are located around airports in many cities across India and Thursday's Ahmedabad plane crash, in which at least 30 people were killed on the ground as well, has got residents worried about a tragedy like that hitting closer home.
Air India Flight 171 - a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner - took off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport and could achieve an altitude of merely 625 feet before it began descending and crashed into the complex of the BJ Medical College in Meghani Nagar - an aerial distance of less than two km. Of the 242 people on the plane, 241 were killed and at least 30 others died on the ground.
The airport in Mumbai, which can handle more than 40 flights every hour, is surrounded by slums as well as posh homes, and residents of both say flights taking off sometimes give them the jitters now.
"We are within 1 km of the runway. There is a service road nearby which sees a lot of fish sellers, there are other hawkers selling food items as well. The leftovers are then thrown there, attracting birds," said a resident of an area around the Mumbai airport, implying that the chances of bird hits increase because of this.
"The vibrations from the aircraft also cause damage. Cracks develop in the buildings... we have to spend a lot on maintenance every year," said another resident.
Residents of slums in Vile Parle (East) said they have been living there for decades but were still willing to shift if the government gives them a safer place to stay.
"Of course, we are scared. But we have been living here for over 70 years, where do we go?" said one.
The story is similar in Jaipur, where people living near the airport say the incident in Ahmedabad has shaken them.
"We have been scared since Thursday. The planes take off day and night," a woman said.
Memories Persist
For people living close to the Patna airport, Ahmedabad does not just make them question 'what if', because many of them have lived through a similar disaster and are worried it may happen again.
In July 2000, an Alliance Air Plane had crashed into Gardani Bagh near the airport while landing, killing 60 people, including five on the ground.
"It happened right here," a resident of the area said. "I remember hearing a loud sound. We got scared. We are still a little scared, but what's the point? We have to live here."
At ground zero, in Ahmedabad, the fear is palpable.
A woman who ran a roadside stall near the airport lost her son as the plane crashed. "He was on the main road when the flames got to him. My daughter-in-law has also suffered severe burn injuries," she said.
A resident of Meghani Colony, very close to the airport, said, "When the plane crashed, I thought it was a bomb or an earthquake. If it had hit this area, so many people would have died."
"The plane was really close to our house. One of the wings clipped a tree. The number of people dead would have been much higher if it had landed in this area," said another.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
‘No AC, no communication': Passengers sweat through Jaipur-Dubai Air India flight as AC fails, no response from crew
A video from inside a Jaipur-Dubai Air India flight, showing passengers slamming the airline over air conditioning failure, has caught the Internet's attention. Shared by Aarzoo Sethi, content creator, the video captures several passengers fanning themselves throughout the flight. The video begins with Sethi slamming the crew for not responding to the passengers, and then goes on to show her son, along with several other passengers, drenched in sweat. As the video progresses, she captures her fellow passengers slamming the airline while fanning themselves with the safety instructions cards. Many turned on their call bells at the same time. 'It's 12.30 AM, and there is no accountability. Look at the situation here,' Sethi says in the video. 'We were stranded inside an @airindiax flight for 5+ hours, Flight number Ix196 with no AC, no communication, and zero assistance from the crew. All our co-passengers were distressed, sweating in the heat, with no clarity on what was happening. After the Ahmedabad flight incident, this felt even more terrifying. How can the same issues be repeated without accountability?' Sethi wrote in the caption. Tagging Air India, Sethi said, 'This is a serious safety lapse. Please take responsibility for your passengers' well-being before it's too late.' Watch the video here: A post shared by Aarzoo Sethi (@dietnaree) The video quickly gained traction, with over 16 million views. Several social media users raised concerns over the passengers' safety. 'This is horrifying!!' a user wrote. Vrinda, a flight attendant, responded to the video, highlighting the safety reasons behind the unresponsive crew even though passengers turned on the call bells. 'When the seatbelt sign is on, we as crew aren't allowed to get up due to safety reasons, especially if there's turbulence. We do see the call bells, but we can only attend to them once it's safe for us to move around. It's not that we're ignoring anyone, it's just about keeping everyone, including us, safe. During this time, even though we notice the call bells, we are legally and safety wise not allowed to walk around the cabin unless there is a medical emergency,' she wrote.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Aviation expert mentions possible reasons for the Ahmedabad crash, says Boeing 787 Dreamliner is reliable
Alok Singh, retired Captain and aviation expert, attributed the Air India plane crash, which claimed the lived of 241 people, attributed the tragic incident to loss of thrust on both engines, bird strike, pilot error, or technical fault. Alok Singh told ANI, "This is a very tragic incident. It will be marked as Black Day in world aviation industry. This is the rarest of rare incident. From the video it is clear that the aircraft stopped producing lift. The reason for this could be loss of thrust on both engines which could have happened due to fuel starvation, engine could have stopped getting fuel. A bird strike is also a possibility. This can also be a pilot error. It can also be a technical fault." Singh said the black box, which was found on Friday, would be crucial. It records crucial data and cockpit conversations. He explained that the data from the black box would be analysed to determine the exact cause of the crash. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Bank Owned Properties For Sale In Tan Thoi Hoa (Prices May Surprise You) Foreclosed Homes | Search ads Search Now Undo "The black box is so strong that it can withstand an explosion also. Black box has two components one is the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) all the communications in the cockpit can be recorded and the second is the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFTR). In DFTR in which all the parameters of the aircraft are recorded. First, the data will be derived from the black box, and then it will be analysed. It just provides the data. Then, investigative agencies will analyse the data and come to conclusion," he said. Meanwhile, Singh praised the reliability of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, noting that this is the first major incident involving the aircraft. He talked about the aircraft's good safety record, with only minor issues reported due to aging fleet. Live Events "In the last 11 to 12 years, it has been in service and no such incident took place. Recently, there were reports that as the fleet is ageing, some minor issues are arising," he said. Further, Singh praised the the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu for their surveillance initiatives, ensuring that all parameters of the aircraft are checked twice to guarantee passenger safety. He said that the aviation industry learns from each accident and takes steps to prevent similar incidents in the future. He also explained the significance of the Mayday call, an international distress signal that prioritises emergency landings. "All the parameters of the aircraft before releasing to service, they want to make sure that the passengers are safe and the aircraft is safe. All the systems are checked twice so that such incident is not repeated. This is a white body aircraft and used on long-haul routes. It is called a workhorse for Air India. So far, technical glitches have been very few in it," he further said. "Whenever any accident happens in the aviation industry, we learn from it. We try to see that the mistake is not repeated. When we are announcing Mayday we are declaring emergency and help is required. ATC gives priority to such flights for landing or air space. In US and Europe aircraft are landed properly after mayday call," he added. Singh said that there are more than 200 computers monitoring a single aircraft. "Whatever has happened took place after the take off was initiated. It happened at very less height. The total flight was total 57 seconds and stalled after 26 second. The pilot had no option. The flight crashed into the nearest building," he added. On Thursday, the Air India flight AI171 was en route to London from Ahmedabad when it crashed shortly after takeoff from the airport, ramming into a doctors' hostel of BJ Medical College in Gujarat's Ahmedabad. There were 242 people on board the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, including 230 passengers and 12 crew members. Of the passengers, 241 died in the crash. The lone survivor, identified as Vishwashkumar Ramesh, a British national of Indian origin, sustained injuries and is undergoing treatment.
Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
King Charles holds minute's silence for crash victims
LONDON: King Charles III and senior members of the royal family held a minute's silence at Trooping the Colour on Saturday in tribute to those who died in the Air India plane crash this week. His Majesty — wearing a black armband — was accompanied by Queen Camilla and the Princess of Wales during the moment of reflection. The King requested amendments to the Trooping the Colour programme 'as a mark of respect for the lives lost, the families in mourning and all the communities affected by this awful tragedy,' a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said. All passengers but one on the flight to the UK died – 241 out of 242 – when it crashed in a huge fireball moments after take-off in India's western city of Ahmedabad.
