'Mother Goddess Saved Me': Student Who Missed Air India Flight By 10 Minutes
She reached the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport less than an hour before the takeoff due to heavy traffic and was turned away by airline officials.
Bhoomi Chauhan, a Business Administration student, narrowly avoided death after she missed her Air India flight—yes, the same that crashed within 32 seconds of take-off in Ahmedabad, killing all but one on board.
She reached the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport less than an hour before the takeoff due to heavy traffic and was turned away by airline officials.
"...We arrived at the check-in gate 10 minutes late, but they didn't allow me, and I returned," she told ANI.
Chauhan lives in Bristol with her husband and was visiting India for a holiday, as per a BBC report.
Flight AI 171, a Boeing 787-8 airliner, crashed into Meghaninagar IGP complex, killing 241 of 242 people on board.
According to Chauhan, she arrived at the airport at 12:20 PM lST, around 10 minutes after boarding was to start.
"I was late because of traffic in the Ahmedabad city area. When I came to know that the flight had crashed, I was totally numb. I thank my mother Goddess that I am safe, but the incident is absolutely terrifying," she told ANI further.
The pilots sent out a 'mayday call' before the crash, according to a statement from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
Three National Defence Response Force Teams, consisting of a total of 90 personnel, were sent to the crash site from Gandhinagar.
The plane was carrying a total of 242 persons on board including 12 crew members and was heading to London from Ahmedabad.
The aircraft was carrying 169 Indian, 53 British, seven Portuguese and one Canadian nationals.
