Thought it was an earthquake: Eyewitness describes panic at Air India plane crash site

Ahmedabad, June 14: Mohan Bahadur Kshatriya, an eyewitness to the deadly Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, on Saturday, described scenes of chaos as he helped rescue survivors from the wreckage. Living just 500 meters from the crash site, Kshatriya told ANI that he first mistook the explosion for an earthquake before witnessing the harrowing scenes of thick smoke, raging fires, and students screaming for help.

Along with Army personnel, he said that he pulled out five critically injured survivors from the debris before discovering bodies in the mangled remains.

"My house is 500m from the crash site. I heard a loud bang. First, I wondered if it was a massive storm or earthquake... The people were shouting that a plane had crashed. When I went and saw, there was smoke everywhere. There was fire all around. We went up to the mess where students were shouting for help," Kshatriya told ANI.

"Along with Army personnel, we rescued five students alive from the debris. But they were in an extremely serious condition... Then we thought that there could be someone stuck under the debris downstairs. We found a body in an awful condition," he added.

Rekha Kshtriya, another eyewitness to the plane crash, recalled the chilling moments after the sheer tragedy and stated that even though her family was accustomed to loud noises, the sound of the crash felt like their eardrums would burst.

Kshtriya further stated that all furniture in their house had started shaking violently.

"I have been staying here for the last 13-14 years... that day, around 1:30 p.m., we heard a loud noise. Although we are accustomed to hearing loud noises, this time the noise felt like our eardrums would burst. It seemed like an earthquake. We had just sat down to have lunch, and the furniture in our house had started shaking violently. For a second, it felt like a bomb blast happened.... Then, when we went outside, we saw that a plane had crashed. We saw broken pieces of aircraft everywhere... it was difficult to understand whether it was a plane crash, a terrorist attack, or something else. The whole sky was filled with black smoke... High flames were rising everywhere..." Kshtriya told ANI.

Meanwhile, the government has constituted a high-level multi-disciplinary committee for examining the causes that led to the crash of the flight.

"A High Level Multi-disciplinary Committee is constituted for examining the causes leading to the crash of the Air India Flight AI-171 from Ahmedabad to Gatwick Airport (London) on June 12, 2025. The Committee will examine the existing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and guidelines issued to prevent and handle such occurrences and suggest comprehensive guidelines for dealing with such instances in the future," an order issued by the Civil Aviation Ministry read.

"The Committee will not be a substitute for other enquiries being conducted by relevant organisations but will focus on formulating SOPs for preventing and handling such occurrences in the future," the order clarified.

Reader Comments

R

Rahul P.

Heartbreaking to read these eyewitness accounts. The bravery of locals like Mohan Bahadur who rushed to help despite the danger is commendable. Hope the investigation brings clarity and prevents such tragedies in future. 🙏

P

Priya M.

The description of the scene gives me chills. Can't imagine what the survivors and families must be going through. Air India needs to seriously upgrade its safety protocols - this isn't the first incident in recent years.

A

Amit K.

Salute to the Army personnel and local heroes who risked their lives to save others. But why was a civilian area so close to the flight path? Airport authorities need to review zoning regulations urgently.

S

Sunita R.

The eyewitness accounts are terrifying! 😨 My cousin lives in that area and said the entire neighborhood is traumatized. Hope the government provides proper counseling support to affected residents along with victims' families.

V

Vikram S.

While the committee is necessary, we've seen many such committees formed after past accidents with little visible outcome. Action matters more than reports - hope this time will be different.

N

Neha T.

The description of students screaming for help is haunting. As a frequent flyer, this makes me question airline safety standards. Maybe it's time for stricter international audits of our aviation systems.

K

Karan D.

Respect to the eyewitnesses who helped despite the danger. But let's not forget - this is why we need better emergency response systems near all airports. Lives could have been saved with quicker professional medical response.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.