This Air India crash eyewitness cheated death by a whisker—'a blast, then a fireball, just 200 m away'

Never did Krish imagine that he would witness such a deadly air crash. There was a loud blast and then a fireball, he recalled. When he reached the site at IGB compound, the 21-year-old momentarily froze on seeing mangled debris and disfigured bodies among others.
In fact, the Meghaninagar resident is still in a daze as he, his family and many other houseowners cheated death by a whisker: Air India's flight AI171 crashed barely 200 metres away from his house.
Ahmedabad: Planes flying close by is a regular sight for Krish Patani. But, the scenes involving an aircraft on Thursday afternoon will remain sketched forever in his mind.
'The spot is near my house. There was an atmosphere of fear among us. If it (the plane) had fallen in the main residential area, a lot of people would have lost their lives,' Krish told ThePrint at the B.J. Medical College and Civil Hospital where he had arrived with a relative.
Apart from the 241 aboard the flight killed in the crash, several others are feared to have perished in the tragedy. There are reports in which medical students mention that the toll would have been higher if the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner had torn into the hostel a few minutes later.
Krish recalled the ill-fated plane flying close to houses and felt that it would have crashed in the main residential area had it not been the effort of pilots till the last moment.
'Within a few seconds, there was a big explosion and flames spread all around. There was chaos in the area, and the people started running everywhere,' he said, adding that Meghaninagar's situation became chaotic Thursday.
The plane, he added, crashed into the hostel of the medical college where several doctors and PG students were having their lunch. 'The crash happened when students were having lunch during break time. The wall had collapsed there. We helped remove them from the debris yesterday,' he said.
Krish with his friends, brothers rushed to the crash site, right after the plane crash. The area was engulfed with smoke, while the heat high and the stench unbearable, he added.
Bodies were strewn all over, many of them dismembered. 'Many of the bodies were charred beyond recognition,' he recalled, adding that identifying the dead would be a tall task. 'I have never seen anything like this in my life.'
All the vehicles nearby the crash site were burnt to ashes, he said. 'There has been a lot of damage.'
'We helped several people, and even rescued some. The police arrived there and took over the rescue operation,' he said, adding that the whole area was cordoned off soon after for investigators to take over.
At the crash site on Friday, forensic teams collected samples for evidence while officials of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) among others were also present there. The black box of the crashed plane was recovered from the rooftop of the residential quarters of B.J.Medical College.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
Also Read: Meet the forensic dentist racing against time so kin of Air India crash victims can say final goodbye

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Mint

2 hours ago

• Mint

IndiGo's Guwahati-Chennai flight makes emergency landing at Bengaluru airport after pilot's ‘Mayday' call: Report

An IndiGo flight from Guwahati to Chennai with 168 passengers on board made an emergency landing at Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) after the captain gave a 'Mayday' call -- a distress call via radio communication - citing insufficient fuel in the plane. The incident comes on the heels of an Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad that claimed the lives of 241 passengers, leaving one survivor. The Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner had issued a Mayday call shortly before it crashed. The pilot of IndiGo flight 6E-6764 (A321), which departed from Guwahati at 4:40 PM, attempted to land in Chennai at around 7:45 PM. However, after the aircraft's landing gear touched the runway, the pilot opted for a 'go around' in what is known as a 'balked landing'. 'About 35 miles from Bengaluru airport, the captain made a 'Mayday' call,' TOI reported citing sources. Describing the situation, a passenger said, 'The sudden and steep climb had many passengers on the edge of their seats, some visibly frightened.' The individual chose to remain unnamed. Multiple sources at the airport and Air Traffic Control (ATC) confirmed to TOI that the pilot did not attempt a second landing in Chennai. Instead, he chose to divert the flight to Bengaluru. Sources at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) told TOI:, 'After getting the distress call, the ATC alerted the on-ground staff members who swung into action. Medical and fire services personnel were in place. The aircraft landed safely at 8.20pm.' Both the pilots involved have been taken off duty, although IndiGo has not confirmed this. The IndiGo plane, which was critically low on fuel, made a safe landing in Bengaluru.

Hindustan Times

4 hours ago

• Hindustan Times

Teary eyes bid farewell to Air India crew member Deepak Pathak who died in Ahmedabad crash

Emotional scenes unfolded at the funeral of Air India crew member Deepak Pathak whose mortal remains were consigned to flames at a Badlapur crematorium in the presence of thousands of mourners on Saturday. The London-bound Air India flight AI-171 carrying 242 passengers and crew members crashed in Ahmedabad last Thursday.(PTI) Pathak (34), who had been serving the national carrier for the past 11 years, was among the crew members aboard the ill-fated London-bound flight which crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12. His body was handed over to his family members after a nine-day-long identification process, confirmed through DNA testing. Tears flowed freely as the coffin arrived at his residence in Rawal Complex on Ambernath-Badlapur Road. Many struggled to hold back emotions, with heartfelt scenes unfolding among the grieving crowd. Pathak's large portrait accompanied the coffin, standing as a silent tribute as mourners offered floral respects. The funeral procession witnessed an overwhelming turnout. Family, friends, neighbours, and people from all walks of life walked behind the flower-bedecked truck carrying Pathak's coffin to the Manjarli crematorium. Pathak's family members had recalled that he had shared his photos on social media just before the flight took off from the Ahmedabad international airport. "He called our mother that morning and just said 'good morning'. That was the last time we heard his voice," his sister had said. "We couldn't speak often because of our schedules, but my mother and I would always talk about him". Pathak was the third of five siblings and had married four years ago. He is survived by his elderly parents, wife, and two married sisters. In the last few days, the last rites of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, pilot in command of the Air India plane, cabin supervisor Shradha Dhavan, senior crew member Aparna Mahadik, and crew member Maithili Patil- all from Maharashtra- were conducted in their respective hometowns. The mortal remains of Capt Sabharwal, Dhavan, and Mahadik were cremated at crematoriums in suburban Chakala, Mulund, and Goregaon in Mumbai, respectively. Maithili Patil's last rites were performed in Raigad district. The London-bound Air India flight AI-171 carrying 242 passengers and crew members crashed in Ahmedabad last Thursday, killing all but one on board, and 29 on the ground as the aircraft smashed into a medical complex.

NDTV

4 hours ago

• NDTV

IndiGo Flight Declared 'Mayday' Due To Low Fuel, Landed Safely: Sources

Budget carrier IndiGo's Guwahati-Chennai flight, with 168 passengers, made an emergency landing in Bengaluru after pilots declared 'mayday' due to "insufficient fuel", said sources. The incident comes just a week after Air India Dreamliner flight to London crashed shortly after take-off in Ahmedabad. The incident took place on Thursday and both pilots have been derostered. The Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner issued a mayday call shortly before it crashed around lunchtime on June 12, bursting into a fireball as it hit residential buildings. The IndiGo plane, which was critically low on fuel, made a safe landing in Bengaluru. "After getting the distress call, the ATC (Air Traffic Control) alerted the on-ground staff members who swung into action. Medical and fire services personnel were in place. The aircraft landed safely at 8:20 pm," the Times of India reported, quoting sources at the Kempegowda International Airport. On Friday, a Madurai-bound Indigo flight suffered a technical snag mid-air and sought permission to fly back to Chennai and land, sources said. The plane, carrying about 68 passengers, landed safely and all the passengers were deplaned with due safety measures in place, sources added.