She Was To Board Doomed Air India Flight. A 10-Minute Delay Saved Her

For Bhoomi Chauhan, getting caught in terrible traffic on the roads of Ahmedabad on Thursday proved to be a blessing in disguise. The Bharuch resident was upset but escaped a terrifying near-death experience after she missed her crucial London-bound flight.

Air India flight 171 had crashed seconds after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at around 1.30pm. Of the 242 passengers and crew members on board, only one survived. It was one of the worst air disasters in recent times. 

"I was getting ready to step out of the airport when I learnt about the crash. I began shivering. My legs started trembling. I felt numb for quite some time," Bhoomi said after she missed the doomed flight. 

#WATCH | Bhoomi Chauhan, a resident of Gujarat's Bharuch, missed yesterday's flight, AI-171, which crashed and 241 of 242 on board, including crew members, lost their lives.

Bhoomi Chauhan says, "...We arrived at the check-in gate 10 minutes late, but they didn't allow me, and I… pic.twitter.com/T1AqU9SSz0

— ANI (@ANI) June 13, 2025

Bhoomi was scheduled to board AI 171 to travel to London, where she lives with her husband. She was visiting India after two years and was on a holiday. She, however, arrived at the Ahmedabad airport 10 minutes later after getting stuck in the traffic.

"The flight was scheduled to take off at 1.10pm. The boarding procedure was over at 12.10pm and I reached at 12.20pm. I had reached the checking-in gate and requested them to allow me to board the flight. I told them I shall clear all the formalities quickly but they did not allow me to proceed," she said.

"I got late because I was stuck in traffic. I was upset (after being denied boarding) and reached the airport exit when I learnt the plane had crashed. My Ganpati ji saved me," she added. 

Photo Credit: AFP

Bhoomi's mother said she had left her child behind at home and was supposed to fly alone. "We thank God for protecting my daughter. She left her child with me, and it's all because of God's blessings; because of that child, she is with me. By God's grace she returned home safely," she said. 

Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British-Indian, was the only person onboard the ill-fated aircraft who survived. The remaining people - 239 passengers, two pilots and 10 crew members - were killed in the crash.

"Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly," Ramesh, who suffered injuries on his chest, told Hindustan Times on Thursday.

His relatives said he told them he had "no idea" how he escaped from the plane that eventually burst into flames, indicating severe trauma from the experience.

Officials said flight AI 171 lost altitude soon after taking off at around 1.30pm on Thursday, before crashing into the residential quarters of BJ Medical College doctors in Meghaninagar area and combusting in a fiery blaze that sent plumes of thick black smoke spiralling up in the air.

The pilot had issued a 'Mayday' distress call, denoting a full emergency, soon after takeoff, the Air Traffic Control at Ahmedabad said.

Aviation experts said that going by the available visuals, lack of thrust in both engines and a bird hit could be among the probable causes. Visuals from the wreckage area showed bodies being pulled out and the injured, many with burns, wheeled into the city civil hospital close by.

The Centre has formed a high-level committee to probe the crash, Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu said.