What began as an ordinary day in Ahmedabad turned into a nightmare within seconds, as a deafening explosion in the sky shattered the calm on Thursday. Eyewitnesses recounted scenes of horror after an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner, bound for London, crashed shortly after takeoff from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.
An eyewitness, Hansa Ben, a relative of a victim of the Air India Flight AI171 crash, speaking to IANS, said, "We were outside on the road when the incident happened. My sister-in-law was running a tea stall there. She and her son were both present at the spot. The boy was 15 years old and was sleeping on a rope bed (khatiya). Suddenly, there was a fire and he got caught in it. He didn’t survive. His mother has been admitted to the hospital…"
Another eye-witness, Suraj Gajjar, whose house is just 500 metres away from the crash site, said, "When the blast happened around 1.40 p.m., we ran from our house, it’s about 500 meters from here. Everyone from the local area gathered at the spot.
Within 5-6 minutes, the police, fire department, and all emergency services had already arrived and have been working non-stop since then. The bodies being recovered are all from the plane crash. Work has been ongoing here continuously..."
Another eyewitness recalled how his life was saved by just 40 seconds. "I missed it by just 40 seconds", recalled a shaken young man who had been on his way to his brother's admission. "...Had I been there a little earlier, I could have been a victim too... I immediately called all my friends and asked them to rush to the spot.
No one had the courage to go near the fire, and even the fire brigade hadn’t arrived. When we arrived, we first went to the canteen. My group and I tried to remove the gas cylinders to prevent more explosions. Despite the danger, one explosion had already occurred. We didn’t care for our safety, our focus was on rescuing the trapped", he said.
As rescue teams continue their task, the people who stood just seconds away from the crash site relive the trauma while sharing their tragic ordeals, which is likely to remain in their "memory box" till their last breath.