‘I Am Thankful to God’: Woman Escapes Tragedy After Missing Air India Flight by 10 Minutes

The woman had been vacationing in India and was scheduled to leave for London but was delayed in traffic and missed her flight. She now reacts to the news of its crash, which claimed over 200 lives.

Bhoomi Chauhan is grateful for what she describes as the divine intervention that saved her life. She was meant to board Air India's Flight AI171, which tragically crashed in Ahmedabad mere minutes after takeoff.

The flight was bound for London, where Chauhan was returning to her husband. She revealed that she missed it by just ten minutes due to being stuck in traffic. After hearing about the crash, she was heartbroken.

"I am completely devastated after hearing about the loss (of lives). My body is literally shivering. I am not being able to talk. My mind is totally blank now after hearing all that has happened," she told Republic World.

Still, she felt fortunate to be alive. "I am thankful to God. My Ganpati Bappa saved me," she said. Chauhan hadn't visited India in two years, and was vacationing in the country alone.

The plane she missed crashed in a residential area in Meghani Nagar five minutes after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at approximately 1:38 p.m. local time.

Only one of the 242 passengers—including 169 Indian citizens, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian—survived. He is British citizen Vishwashkumar Ramesh.