Bharuch, June 13: Bhoomi Chauhan, a resident of Bharuch in Gujarat, narrowly escaped death after missing Air India flight AI-171 — the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that tragically crashed on Thursday, claiming the lives of all 241 people onboard, including 12 crew members. The airline confirmed the devastating news shortly after midnight on Friday.
Recounting the harrowing experience, Bhoomi said, “We reached the check-in gate just 10 minutes late, but they didn’t allow us to board. They said allowing us would delay the flight further. I was late due to traffic congestion in Ahmedabad city. When I heard that the flight had crashed, I was completely numb. I thank my Mother Goddess that I am alive, but the incident is horrifying.”
Her mother also expressed deep gratitude, attributing Bhoomi’s miraculous escape to divine blessings. “We thank the Mother Goddess for protecting my daughter. She left her child with me that day, and I believe it’s only because of that child — and the Goddess's blessings — that she’s still with us,” she said.
Bhoomi’s father added that traffic delays caused them to arrive late at the airport. “We requested the staff to let us board, but they refused. As soon as we exited the airport, we received the heartbreaking news that the plane had crashed.”
Earlier on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the crash site near Ahmedabad International Airport. He assessed the situation on the ground following the catastrophic crash of the London-bound AI-171 flight. PM Modi was accompanied by Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, Gujarat State Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi, and other senior officials, who briefed him on the developments and ongoing response efforts
