Sonic boom, black smoke and narrow escape: Cargo worker relives horror

The horrific crash of Air India Flight AI171 in Ahmedabad took place just a building away from eyewitness Ashutosh Pande`s workplace. Pande said he was still shaken hours after the incident.

“I work in cargo supply. My workplace is in the vicinity of the plane crash. Five of us were working in the office on Thursday afternoon. Suddenly, we heard a loud noise and then saw a plane flying over the building. Then, there was a huge blast, a sonic boom, I cannot really describe how loud it was. Even before we could process anything, we saw the aircraft hit a building ahead of the office,” Pande said.

Ashutosh Pande, an eyewitness

“By then, all of us were running; we just knew we had to run out of the office. People were running helter-skelter. The area was soon enveloped in thick, black smoke, affecting visibility,” he said.

“Even through the smoke, we could discern the plane and started comprehending the enormity of this. We did try to help the police who were trying to save people at the site. Even through all this, my co-workers and I could not help thinking how we just very narrowly escaped. At the same time, having been at the scene of horror, our thoughts and prayers remain with the families of those who perished and are injured.”