Ahmedabad man avoids Air India crash by postponing travel, says God saved him from death

An Ahmedabad resident who had a confirmed seat on the ill-fated Air India flight to London said on Thursday that his last-minute decision to postpone travel by four days likely saved his life.

“I owe my life to Swaminarayan and thank the gods for saving me,” said Savjibhai Timbadia, speaking to a television news channel after learning about the crash, as quoted PTI.

Timbadia, who is in his late 60s, revealed that the London-bound flight was originally booked by his son, who lives in the UK. “My son, who stays in London, had earlier booked this flight. A seat number was also allotted to me, but I postponed my departure by four days,” he said.

“I did not realise that this decision would save my life. After the crash, my son called me up from London and told me that my good deeds in this life saved me,” Timbadia added.

The Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner, carrying 242 passengers and crew, crashed into a medical college complex in Ahmedabad shortly after take-off on Thursday morning. Nearly all onboard were killed in the incident, including former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani.

An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the crash.