“I missed the flight by 10 minutes” — Woman escapes death in crash that killed over 200

In what can only be described as a miraculous twist of fate, a London-based woman, Bhoomi Chauhan, narrowly escaped death after missing Air India flight AI-171 by just 10 minutes — a flight that tragically crashed moments after takeoff from Ahmedabad, killing over 200 people.

Chauhan, who had been visiting India for a vacation after two years, was scheduled to board the ill-fated flight back to London. But due to heavy traffic on her way to the airport, she arrived too late to check in.

Speaking emotionally to Republic TV, Chauhan recounted the chilling moment she heard the news of the crash.

“I only missed my flight by 10 minutes. My body is still shaking. I’m devastated after what happened. My mind is blank, I can’t speak.”

Overwhelmed with emotion and gratitude, Chauhan said she believes divine intervention spared her life.

“I think Ganpati Bappa saved me,” she added, attributing her survival to the Hindu deity often invoked for protection.

The tragedy has left her shaken, as she reflected on the narrow escape that separated her fate from that of hundreds of passengers who perished.

“Just because of those ten minutes I couldn’t get on the flight. I don’t know how to explain this,” Chauhan said, her voice trembling.

Chauhan lives in London with her husband and had planned to return to her normal life but instead, she’s now processing the emotional trauma of what could have been a final goodbye to her loved ones.

Meanwhile, the crash of Air India flight AI-171 which had 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, and others on board continues to dominate headlines globally, as investigations and recovery efforts proceed.