A woman, who missed the ill-fated Air India flight that crashed in Ahmedabad on Thursday and left 241 people dead, has expressed gratitude to the Hindu god Lord Ganapati for her narrow escape.
Bhoomi Chauhan said she missed the flight by 10 minutes since she was stuck in a traffic congestion in Ahmedabad.
Speaking to Republic TV, she said: “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 said.
“I am thankful to God. My Ganpati Bappa saved me,” she said.
Chauhan’s husband lives in London, and she was visiting India for a vacation.
The Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, en route to London with 242 people onboard, crashed immediately after it took off from Ahmedabad airport on Thursday, leaving 241 people dead.
One person, the passenger of seat No. 11A, survived the crash miraculously, the Ahmedabad Police said.
The lone survivor in the mishap was taken to the hospital and is under treatment.
In a cell phone video that is being circulated online, the passenger was seen walking with a limp, indicating a leg injury. His clothes had blood stains and smudges of soot.
“The police found one survivor in seat 11A,” Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
The person has been identified as 40-year-old Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British-Indian who was returning to the UK after a visit.
AI171, carrying 242 people, went down within five minutes of departure at 1:38 PM, sending up plumes of smoke near the crash site.
It hit a medical college hostel, leaving five students dead as well.
The flight carried 169 Indian passengers, 53 British nationals, 7 Portuguese citizens, and one Canadian.
