A tragic Air India plane crash on June 12 shocked the country, killing 241 people on board and over 25 on the ground, including nine doctors. The flight, AI-171, was heading to London Gatwick but crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The aircraft fell into the residential quarters of doctors at BJ Medical College in the Meghani Nagar area.
Students Thought It Was a Missile Attack
The crash caused a massive explosion, shaking the entire area. Medical students in the BJ Medical College hostel first thought they were under attack.
Keshav Bhadana, a second-year MBBS student from Faridabad, shared his experience. “It was around 1:30 pm, and I was having lunch with friends when the walls began to shake and collapse. At first, we thought it was a dust storm, then maybe an earthquake. Suddenly, I feared it was a missile attack from Pakistan,” he told reporters.
Realization of a Plane Crash
Keshav said he saw bags falling from the sky and then realized it must have been a plane crash. Tragically, he lost four of his friends in the incident. “There were 50 students on my floor at that time. Four of my six friends sitting with me died, and one of them was very close to me,” he said.
Keshav also got injured when part of the building fell on him. “My legs got buried under debris, and I had injuries on my hands, legs, and head,” he recalled.
More Danger from Gas Explosions
Things became even worse when gas cylinders in the hostel kitchen began to explode. Thick black smoke filled the area, and people couldn’t see anything. “We were trapped and scared. Many people had stopped moving… maybe they had died. Somehow, we managed to get out,” he said.
Tensions Between India and Pakistan
The fear of a missile attack wasn’t entirely baseless. Just before the crash, tensions were rising between India and Pakistan due to the 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 civilians.
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India had launched Operation Sindoor in response, targeting terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. In return, Pakistan tried to fire missiles and send drones into Indian states like Gujarat, Punjab, and Rajasthan. These attacks raised fears of war, and the border states were put on high alert.
