In a twist of fate that can only be described as miraculous, a business administration student narrowly avoided being a victim of the recent Air India crash, all thanks to a traffic jam. Bhoomi Chauhan, a 28-year-old living in Bristol, was scheduled to fly home to London Gatwick on Air India flight AI171 after a holiday in western India. However, bumper-to-bumper traffic caused her to miss her flight by a mere 10 minutes.

Arriving at Ahmedabad airport less than an hour before departure, Ms. Chauhan was turned away by airline staff. Frustrated and disappointed, she and her driver left the airport. “We got very angry with our driver and left the airport in frustration,” she recalls. “I was very disappointed.” Little did she know, this delay would save her life.

As she was discussing ticket refunds with her travel agent, she received a call delivering the shocking news: the plane had crashed shortly after take-off, claiming the lives of 241 people on board and more on the ground. Speaking to the BBC’s Gujarati service, Ms. Chauhan expressed her disbelief, stating, “This is totally a miracle for me.” Her story serves as a poignant reminder of how life can change in an instant and how sometimes, the most frustrating delays can turn out to be unexpected blessings.