A mere 10-minute delay proved life-saving for Bhoomi Chauhan, a London-based woman who narrowly missed boarding the doomed Air India flight AI-171 that crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on Thursday. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was carrying 242 passengers and crew members when it went down, claiming at least 265 lives in one of India’s deadliest air disasters in recent years.
Bhoomi, who had been visiting India after two years, was scheduled to travel on the ill-fated flight but got delayed on her way to the airport due to traffic congestion. Reaching Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport breathless and without a printed boarding pass, she missed the flight by a matter of minutes.
Speaking from outside her family home in Bharuch, Bhoomi, still shaken by the events, expressed gratitude for what she described as divine intervention. She said tearfully, her voice trembling, that Ganpati Bappa saved her, as reported by India Tv.
Her mother, visibly emotional, told ANI that it was the blessing of the Mother Goddess that spared her daughter’s life. “We thank Mother Goddess for protecting my daughter. She left her child with me, and it’s all because of the Mother Goddess blessings; because of that child, she is with me.”
Ahmedabad Flight Crash
The tragedy unfolded minutes after the aircraft took off from Ahmedabad. The plane crashed into a medical college complex and erupted in flames, leaving behind a trail of destruction and grief. Deputy Commissioner of Police Kanan Desai confirmed that 265 bodies had been received by the city civil hospital by Thursday night. Many of the victims were reportedly burned beyond recognition, complicating identification efforts.
Among the deceased was former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, confirmed BJP leader CR Paatil, reported PTI. Only one known survivor has been reported so far — Vishwash Kumar Ramesh — though details of his condition remain scarce.
