What began as a simple trip to the city for school supplies became a life-altering experience for a teenager who ended up capturing one of India\u2019s worst aviation tragedies on camera.<\/p>\n
Seventeen-year-old Aryan Asari recorded the horrific crash of an Air India Dreamliner 787-8 in Ahmedabad, an event that claimed the lives of 241 people on board and nearly 30 on the ground. He is still struggling to cope with the trauma.<\/p>\n
Aryan had always been fascinated by airplanes. His father, Maganbhai Asari, said the teen would often rush outside whenever he heard a plane flying over their village near the Gujarat-Rajasthan border to catch a glimpse of it and admire the trails it left in the sky.<\/p>\n
In June, Aryan traveled to Ahmedabad for the first time with his sister, who was scheduled to take a police recruitment exam. Aryan hoped to shop for some notebooks and clothes during the visit. His father, a former army soldier now employed by the Ahmedabad metro, lived alone in a small rooftop room near the airport, and Aryan had often asked whether planes could be seen from the terrace.<\/p>\n
After arriving at their father’s home around midday on Thursday, Aryan and his sister stayed behind while Maganbhai went to work. Aryan climbed up to the terrace to record some footage to send to friends.<\/p>\n
While filming, he spotted an aircraft flying abnormally low. \u201cIt was swaying from side to side,\u201d he said. He started recording, unaware that he was documenting a disaster in the making. Within seconds, the plane crashed and exploded into a massive fireball.<\/p>\n
“I saw it descending, then wobbling before crashing right in front of me,” Aryan told BBC Gujarati. Flames and thick smoke quickly filled the sky, confirming the magnitude of the event.<\/p>\n
Panicked, Aryan sent the video to his father and called him. \u201cI saw it crash, papa,\u201d he said. Maganbhai tried to calm his frightened son, who was overwhelmed and unsure of what to do next.<\/p>\n
Despite being advised to keep the footage private, Aryan, still in shock, forwarded it to some friends. The clip quickly went viral.<\/p>\n
The video became critical evidence for investigators and drew intense media coverage. \u201cReporters have been at our door constantly, asking to speak with him,\u201d Maganbhai said. Their home was soon crowded with journalists and curious neighbors. Police also visited and briefly questioned Aryan at the station, though he was not detained.<\/p>\n
In later interviews, Aryan described the moment he captured the crash. “I thought the plane was landing at a nearby airport. But then it exploded,\u201d he said. He alerted his sister and contacted his father immediately afterward.<\/p>\n
The experience deeply affected Aryan. \u201cHe\u2019s so shaken that he no longer uses his phone,\u201d said Maganbhai. To help him recover, the family sent him back to their village, where he returned to school. But the trauma lingers. \u201cHe gets scared even when his phone rings,\u201d his father added.<\/p>\n
Maganbhai is hopeful his son will heal with time, but he doubts Aryan will ever watch the skies the same way again.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Aryan\u2019s video continues to play a role in the official investigation.<\/p>\n
Another perspective came from across the globe: the brother of the crash\u2019s only known survivor shared his own emotional account. Nayan Kumar Ramesh, speaking from Leicester, UK, recalled the final moments before the disaster.<\/p>\n
He said his brother Vishwashkumar Ramesh had called their father just before takeoff \u2014 and then video-called again moments before the crash, saying, \u201cOur plane\u2019s crashed.\u201d Vishwashkumar was traveling with another brother, who tragically did not survive.<\/p>\n
Still processing the trauma, Vishwashkumar later told his family, \u201cI don\u2019t know how I made it out. I can\u2019t find my brother. I don\u2019t see any other passengers.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Ramesh family remains devastated. \u201cThere are no words,\u201d Nayan said, reflecting on the loss and the inexplicable survival of one sibling. \u201cIt\u2019s a miracle he lived. But where was the miracle for our other brother?\u201d<\/p>\n
The tragedy has shaken Nayan\u2019s own confidence in flying. \u201cNow I\u2019m afraid to even get on a plane,\u201d he admitted.<\/p>\n
As the investigation unfolds, the heartbreaking accounts from survivors, witnesses, and families of victims offer a glimpse into the enduring human toll of the crash \u2014 and how a single moment changed countless lives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"