The boy's emotional journey of witnessing the Air India crash unfolds, revealing the aftermath of trauma he grapples with in the wake of the disaster.
Witness to Tragedy: Teenager Filming Air India Crash Impacted by Trauma
Witness to Tragedy: Teenager Filming Air India Crash Impacted by Trauma
A young boy's passion for aviation turns into a nightmare as he captures a devastating plane crash.
Seventeen-year-old Aryan Asari from Ahmedabad has found his passion for airplanes turned into a haunting experience following a catastrophic incident last Thursday. Capturing video footage of the ill-fated Air India Dreamliner 787-8, the teenager was left traumatized as he witnessed the aircraft come down mere moments after takeoff. The crash resulted in 241 fatalities on board and nearly an additional 30 casualties on the ground.
Aryan had grown up with a love for airplanes, a hobby encouraged by his father, Maganbhai Asari. However, as he stood on the terrace filming aircraft that day, he instinctually filmed the Air India flight and soon realized that something was terribly wrong. "I saw the plane. It was going down and down... then it wobbled and crashed," he recounted in an interview. Soon after, he sent the video to his father, only to be met with confusion and fear as he processed the horror that unfolded before his eyes.
The video footage has become critical evidence for investigators seeking the causes of this aviation disaster, drawing significant media attention that overwhelmed Aryan and his family. Following the crash, they were inundated with reporters and interview requests, compounding the trauma Aryan faced. His father described the effect on his son, stating, "My son is so scared that he has stopped using his phone."
The family had recently relocated to the city, and the crash occurred just hours after Aryan had arrived to accompany his sister for university entrance exams. Everything felt normal until the moment of impact.
In the aftermath of the crash, the family's lives took a turn, with Aryan being questioned by police and taken aback by the sudden loss of privacy as they dealt with the tragedy. Wanting to protect him, his parents decided to send him back to their village, hoping that distance would help ease the trauma.
While back home, Aryan has resumed school, but the experiences linger with him. His father expressed concern about Aryan's heightened anxiety, saying, "every time his phone rings, he gets scared." Though they hope for healing, it's uncertain if Aryan will ever again look up into the sky with the same fascination for aircraft.
