Student Bhoomi Chauhan missed Air India crash by just minutes

Bhoomi Chauhan remembers having been angry and frustrated. The bumper bumper at bumper had delayed its car trip to Ahmedabad airport-so much so that it missed its Air India flight to London Gatwick in just 10 minutes.

Ms. Chauhan, a business administration student who lives in Bristol with her husband, had visited West India for a holiday.

The 28 -year -old was to go home on the AI171 on Thursday, who crashed shortly after takeoff, killing 241 people on board and more on the ground.

But after arriving at the airport less than an hour before departure, the airline staff refused it.

“We were very angry with our driver and left the frustration airport,” she recalls. “I was very disappointed.

“We left the airport and we stood in a place to drink tea and after a while, before leaving … We were talking to the travel agent how to obtain a refund for the ticket.

“There, I received a call that the plane had dropped.”

Addressing the Gujarati service of the BBC, she adds: “It’s totally a miracle for me.”

Ms. Chauhan says that she arrived at the airport at 12:20 p.m. local time, 10 minutes after boarding.

Its digital boarding pass, seen by BBC News, the watch assigned to the 36G economical class seat.

But despite her online recording, she says that airline staff would not allow her to finish the process at the airport.

She had traveled from Ankleshwar – 201 km (125 miles) south of Ahmedabad – before being retained in the traffic of downtown Ahmedabad.

Ms. Chauhan says: “When I missed the flight, I was discouraged. The only thing I had in mind was:” If I started a little early, I would have climbed on the plane “.

“I asked the staff of airlines to allow me inside because I only have 10 minutes [late]. I told them that I am the last passenger and therefore please, let me get on the plane, but they did not allow me. “”

The flight of Gatwick took off as expected Thursday afternoon, but seemed to have trouble gaining altitude and crashed about 30 seconds after the start of the flight.

The plane struck a residential area, killing 241 passengers and 12 crew members. At least eight people on the ground have so far been known to be dead.

A passenger, the British national Vishwashkumar Ramesh, survived the accident and was treated in the injury hospital.

Indian, Portuguese and Canadian nationals were also on board.

Among the 53 British to have been killed, there was a Family living in Gloucesterthree members of the same family who lived in London and a married couple who directed a center of spiritual well-being in the capital.

Emergency services and civil servants worked late until Thursday evening and Friday to erase debris and search for answers.

Additional reports by Sajid Patel