Exclusive | Ahmedabad Plane Crash: Residents Recall Terrifying Experiences After Dreamliner Accident In Their Vicinity

Ahmedabad: A day after the Air India plane crash, the residents of Meghani Nagar in Ahmedabad are yet to recover from shock, and they will never forget the horrifying 'Black Thursday' afternoon that left 241 dead and one survivor.

During an ETV Bharat visit to the accident site and its nearby localities in Meghani Nagar, the residents narrated how they were left aghast after Air India's Dreamliner AI 171 crashed in their vicinity just minutes after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad. One of the worst plane crashes in the world has occurred near their homes, causing so much loss of human lives and leaving a multi-storeyed accommodation for trainee doctors in ruins.

The massive fire caused by the plane crash due to an instant burnout of lots of litres of fuel in the plane tank had caused a deafening noise before triggering raging flames accompanied by thick smoke that caused complete darkness in the afternoon there for some time.

Rewaben Patani and her son Deepak Patani were at their home after her husband Sanjay Patani, who was serving in the police department, had left for duty as usual. They finished their meal and were about to get busy with their daily activities when they heard a loud noise that burst their eardrums. Left in a terrifying state, they rushed out of the house to find out what was happening. They saw a huge change in the surroundings of their house and there was darkness.

An Air India plane crashed in the Army Cantonment area, where the Patani family's house is right next to the compound where the crash took place. They have not yet recovered from the shock of what they saw in front of them. After the accident, panic spread among the residents of the area.

"First there was a very big explosion. After that, darkness descended everywhere. After some time, a lot of people gathered. There is a lot of change in the surroundings from yesterday to today," said Rewaben Patani, a member of the Patani family and resident of Meghani Nagar.

On the other hand, her son Deepak Patani said, "Many people had come here to see the accident site. We were very scared after hearing the loud noise. We had vacated the children and took them to the open field. Firefighters arrived within an hour of the accident."

The vicinity of the accident spot presented a scene of gloom. In an instant, the area dramatically changed - green, dense trees all around were reduced to charred, black remains standing there like skeletons. The plane crashed directly into the building lying just a few metres away from Patani's house. The Patani family said that the lush green surroundings used to be frequented by monkeys and peacocks every day but now, after the crash, not a single animal or bird came there.

Read More:

1. Air India Plane Crash: PM Modi Meets Injured Admitted at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital