Air India crash: The teen who filmed the Ahmedabad plane video the world saw
Verified video shows Air India plane descending and moment of crashBBC journalist shows devastation on the ground after India plane crash
A retired army soldier, who now works with the city's metro service, Mr Asari has been staying for three years in a neighbourhood close to the airport. He recently moved to a small room located on the terrace of a three-storey building, with a clear view of the city skyline.His wife and two children - Aryan and his elder sister - live in their ancestral village near the border between Gujarat and Rajasthan states."This was Aryan's first time in Ahmedabad. Actually, it was the first time in his life that he left the village," Mr Asari said."Whenever I'd call, Aryan would ask if I could spot airplanes from our terrace and I would tell him you could see hundreds of them streaking the sky."Aryan, he explained, was an aeroplane enthusiast and liked looking at them as they flew in the sky over his village. The idea that he could see them much more closely from the terrace of his father's new home was very appealing to him.The terrifying moment when Air India plane crashed into a canteen'I walked out of rubble': Survivor on how he escaped Air India wreckageWhat could have caused Air India plane to crash in 30 seconds?An opportunity presented itself last week when Mr Asari's daughter, who wants to become a police officer, travelled to Ahmedabad to write the entrance examination.Aryan decided to accompany her. "He told me he wanted to buy new notebooks and clothes," Mr Asari said.The siblings arrived at their father's house around noon on Thursday, roughly an hour-and-a-half before the crash. The family ate lunch together, after which Mr Asari left for work, leaving the children at home.Aryan stepped out on the terrace and started making videos of the house to show to his friends. That's when he spotted the Air India plane and began filming it, he told BBC Gujarati.Aryan soon realised that something was not quite right about the aircraft: "It was shaking, moving left and right," he said.As the plane went on a downward spiral, he kept filming it, unable to grasp what was about to happen.But when thick smoke filled the air and fire spewed out of the buildings, he finally realised what he had just witnessed. He sent the video to his father and called him up.
"He sounded so frightened - 'I saw it papa, I saw it crash,' he said to me and kept asking me what would happen to him. I told him to sit tight and not to worry," Mr Asari said. "But he was beside himself in horror."Mr Asari also asked his son to not share the video further. However, too scared and shocked, Aryan sent it to a few of his friends. "The next thing we knew, the clip was everywhere."The next few days were a nightmare for the family.Neighbours, reporters and camera persons flooded Mr Asari's small house day and night, requesting to speak to Aryan. "We could do nothing to stop them," he said.The family also received a visit from the police, who took Aryan to the station and recorded his statement.Mr Asari clarified, that contrary to reports, Aryan was not detained, but that police questioned him for a few hours about what he saw."My son was so disturbed by then that we decided to send him back to the village."Back at home, Aryan has resumed school but is "still not feeling like himself. His mother tells me that every time his phone rings, he gets scared", Mr Asari said."I know he will be fine with time. But I don't think my son will try looking for airplanes in the sky again," he added.Additional reporting by Roxy Gagdekar, BBC Hindi, in Ahmedabad. Follow BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
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