A year after Air India flight 171, bound for London Gatwick, crashed into a medical hostel complex in Ahmedabad's Meghaninagar area shortly after take-off, survivors say they remain gripped by fear — unable to walk past the site, and startled by every aircraft that passes overhead. The disaster, which claimed 260 lives including 19 on the ground, continues to haunt those who narrowly escaped it.

A Survivor's Account

Medical student Bhagirath Chawda, who missed death by minutes, described the scene as 'tragic and terrifying.' He recalled that he had just finished a meal at the hostel mess and was walking back to his room when the crash occurred.

'Right then, an explosion occurred, and we all looked to see what had happened,' Chawda said. He recounted reaching the site to find the aircraft had split in two — one section striking the Atulyam building, the other landing on the roof of the mess where students had been eating. Four students were killed in that impact alone.

'We had gone blank and didn't know what to do. Still, we gathered courage and went inside the building to pull out those trapped,' he said. 'We are still scared to even walk through the site of the tragedy. Whenever an aircraft passes overhead, we are reminded of the incident.'

Families Gather to Pay Tribute

On the first anniversary, families of victims assembled at the crash site in Meghaninagar to offer prayers, perform rituals, and lay floral tributes in memory of those lost. Among them was Gunjan Chaudhary, who came to pay tribute to his wife — a passenger aboard the ill-fated flight who had been travelling to London to reunite with him.

Chaudhary said his wife was two months pregnant at the time of the crash. 'She had called me while boarding the flight at 1:38 pm, and told me to reach the airport in London directly from my workplace,' an emotional Chaudhary said. The loss, he added, had plunged his entire family into grief.

Families Appeal for Probe Report and Financial Aid

Chaudhary appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to release the final investigation report at the earliest, saying it would serve justice to bereaved families. The government, in a statement on Friday, said a thorough investigation is currently underway and the final report will be released upon completion of all investigative activities and the requisite international review and consultation processes.

Pratap Singh, brother of one of the victims, appealed separately for financial assistance to continue his education. 'My family's financial situation is very weak. My father works in a factory. My only appeal to the government is to provide us with assistance,' he said. His appeal underscores the broader economic toll the crash has taken on ground-level victims' families — a dimension that has received limited policy attention.

The Crash and Its Scale

The Air India flight 171 tragedy is among the deadliest aviation disasters in India's recent history. The aircraft went down in Meghaninagar, a densely populated residential and institutional zone, amplifying the civilian toll. The crash killed 260 people in total, with the ground fatalities — including hostel residents — accounting for 19 of those deaths. A formal investigation involving international aviation bodies remains ongoing, with no final report yet made public.

As the first anniversary passes, survivors and families are calling for both closure through the probe report and tangible relief measures — two demands that the government has yet to fully address.