Bhoomi Chauhan, a 28-year-old student from Bristol, narrowly escaped death after missing her Air India flight to London by just 10 minutes.
Delayed by heavy traffic en route to Ahmedabad airport, she was denied boarding despite having checked in online.
Moments later, while speaking with a travel agent about a refund, she learned that the plane—AI171—had crashed shortly after take-off, killing all 241 passengers, 12 crew, and at least 8 people on the ground.
“I was very angry and disappointed, but now I see it as a miracle,” she told BBC Gujarati.
The tragedy claimed the lives of 53 Britons, including families from Gloucester and London.
Emergency crews continued to sift through debris into Friday, seeking answers to the crash, which happened just 30 seconds after take-off.
Only one passenger, British national Vishwashkumar Ramesh, is known to have survived.
