After Bristol-based Business Administration student Bhoomi Chauhan, another person’s life has been miraculously saved after he missed the ill-fated Air India flight AI 171 due to fever. Dr Umang Patel from Gujarat is grateful to his wife and family members after he refrained from boarding the Air India flight in which he had planned to fly to London on June 12.

The Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed into a doctors’ hostel immediately after take-off from Ahmedabad airport on June 12, killing 241 in the aircraft and over 10 on the ground.

Dr Umang Patel came from the UK with his wife and sons to their ancestral home in Gujarat’s Mahisagar district on May 24. While his family planned to stay back in India for some time, Dr Patel was supposed to fly back to Britain’s Northampton on June 12 in the Air India flight.

Doctor cancelled June 12 ticket, booked another for June 15

“I had to go back alone on June 12. However, I developed high fever after a visit to my in-laws’ house on June 9. The fever was so high I could not even stand the next morning,” Dr Patel said. He cancelled the ticket following request from his wife, who asked him to stay back for a few more days till he recovers.

“After my wife requested that I not go to London, I cancelled the June 12 ticket, took some time and booked another for June 15. Then the news of the plane crash came. God saved me. I also pray that God gives peace to all the souls who were on that aircraft,” Dr Patel said.

Dr Patel said he has been living in Northampton for the last five years. After coming to India last month, his father, who is also a doctor, suffered a stroke, due to which Dr Patel had to cancel a ticket he had booked for a return flight to London on June 12.

The miraculous survival of Bhoomi Chauhan

Bhoomi Chauhan, a Business Administration student who lives in Bristol miraculously survived after failing to reach Ahmedabad airport on time. Bhoomi said she was turned away by Ahmedabad airport staff for reaching late and missed boarding the flight by just ten minutes.

While the incident left her angry and frustrated, she later thanked God for saving her life in a miraculous way by making her miss the Boeing Dreamliner 787-8 flight which crashed killing 241 people on board and several others.

“We got very angry with our driver and left the airport in frustration. I was very disappointed. We left the airport and stood at a place to drink tea after a while, before leaving… we were talking to the travel agent about how to get a refund for the ticket. There, I got a call that the plane had gone down. It was totally a miracle for me,” Bhoomi told BBC.

Air India flight AI 171 crash, death toll 270

The Boeing Dreamliner 787-8 Air India flight crashed on Thursday shortly after taking off for London Gatwick, plummeting into a densely populated residential area near Ahmedabad airport. The crash killed 241 people on board including crew members. One British national, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh is the only survivor.

The crash also killed four MBBS students of the B J Medical College (BJMC) after the ill-fated aircraft crashed into the college hostel. In the accident, 20 other MBBS students sustained injuries, out of whom 11 were discharged. Ground staff and several other people also lost their lives taking the total death toll to 270.