Ahmedabad plane crash: How being 10 minutes late saved the life of a Gujarat woman heading to London

Remains of the Air India plane that crashed moments after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport .Pic/PTI

Stories like these will surely make you believe that everything happens for a reason. Bhoomi Chauhan, a woman from Gujarat's Bharuch, who moved to London two years ago on a study visa, narrowly escaped the Ahmedabad plane crash tragedy, which will go down as one of the world's worst air disasters. Chauhan is currently in India and has been thanking God and her stars since she learnt about the Ahmedabad plane crash tragedy.

Chauhan was supposed to board the same Air India flight to Gatwick London, which crashed on Thursday. But what saved her life was her delay in getting to the airport on time.

The Gujarat woman said she missed boarding the AI 171 flight to London because she encountered traffic on the way. The 10-minute delay caused Chauhan to miss her flight as she was not allowed to board the plane.

According to PTI, she came to her hometown, Ahmedabad, for the first time after moving to the UK two years ago. While speaking to the media, Chauhan said, "I am shivering after I learnt about the crash. I left the airport at 1.30pm, as I missed the flight due to traffic. I thank God."

She was in India for vacation after moving to the UK on a study visa and was scheduled to go back to London on the flight.

The AI 171 flight took off at 1.39 pm and crashed into a medical college complex near the Ahmedabad airport and burst into a ball of fire less than a minute after takeoff, leaving just one survivor.

"The flight was on time, and I missed it by 10 minutes, and I thank God. My prayers for all those who were on board," she said.

Chauhan, who was travelling alone, said by the time she reached the airport, the boarding and check-in for the ill-fated flight had closed.

"I requested [to airport authorities] that I be let in. I was the last passenger. But my request was not accepted. This is a miracle. Mataji and Ganpati Bappa protected me. I am terrified at the loss of lives. "I am totally numb," she added.

Chauhan discovered the tragic Ahmedabad plane crash when she was on her way back home after missing the flight, which took 265 lives (passengers and those on ground).

According to Air India, the flight's 230 passengers included 169 Indians, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian. The remaining 12 passengers on board were two pilots and 10 crew members.

(With PTI Inputs)