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Ahmedabad plane crash brings back memories of Charkhi Dadri mishap that killed 349 people 29 years ago
Twenty-nine years on, the tragic 1996 Charkhi Dadri plane crash still haunts India's skies—349 lives lost in a devastating mid-air collision. Ahmedabad plane crash has brought back those memories, say locals read more
The Ahmedabad plane crash has brought back memories of the Charkhi Dadri air mishap for the people of this Haryana locality. Eyewitnesses recounted the entire incident, describing how the crash unfolded, Network 18 reported.
This happened 29 years ago. On 12 November 1996, a Saudi Arabian aircraft and a Kazakhstan Airlines plane collided over Charkhi Dadri.
It was a mid-air collision that claimed 349 lives in an instant. The crash between Saudi Arabian and Kazakh planes became one of the world's major aviation disasters. Even today, recalling that day makes the people of Charkhi Dadri tremble. When locals rushed to the scene, they found bodies scattered everywhere. The horror of the crash still haunts the residents.
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That evening of 12 November 1996 is still vivid in people's minds. About five kilometres from Charkhi Dadri, near the villages of Tikana Kalan and Kheri Sansanwal, a Saudi cargo plane and a Kazakhstan Airlines passenger plane collided. The impact was so severe that a flash lit up the sky and, within moments, the lives of 349 people were engulfed in flames.
Locals recall that it was the early winter season and the sky was clear. Around 7 pm, suddenly, fireballs began falling into the fields around them. People ran outside in panic, and villagers were filled with dread.
Soon, some villagers came running from the fields in a state of shock. It was a devastating plane crash, which, within hours, brought international shame upon the country. After the crash, the fields became barren and wreckage and bodies were scattered over a ten-kilometre radius.
Eyewitness and senior journalist Dayanand Pradhan said that upon seeing fireballs raining from the sky, he rushed to the site and learned that two planes had collided. Bodies were lying everywhere. He was the first to reach the spot and inform the police. He also captured videos and photos of the scene, which still haunt him to this day.
Another eyewitness, Mahasingh Thekedar, recounted that he was returning to his village Maudi from Jhajjar by jeep. As he entered Charkhi Dadri, a flash lit up the sky and, with a loud noise, fireballs began to fall. He immediately drove to the scene, where the situation was dire, with bodies hanging from trees. He quickly took four people to the hospital in his jeep and, upon returning, was again shaken by the devastation. The pain of not being able to save any passengers remains.
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The crash was so horrific that most bodies were unidentifiable. Then Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and then Haryana Chief Minister Bansi Lal also visited the crash site. Hospitals were overwhelmed with bodies, and social organisations provided assistance. Later, the bodies were buried with the help of JCB machines. Even today, people from abroad come to the cemetery to remember their loved ones.
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