Traumatised boy, whose video of Air India crash went viral, struggles to move on

A 17-year-old boy in Ahmedabad, who unwittingly captured a viral video of Thursday’s devastating Air India AI 171 plane crash, has given his statement to the police, officials said on Saturday. The teenager identified as Aryan shared his experience that left him visibly distressed and struggling to cope with.

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He told reporters he was simply filming the plane on his mobile phone near his rented home, completely unaware that the aircraft would soon transform into a “ball of fire”. His video, which instantly went viral, gave one of the immediate perspectives of the tragedy.

Ahmedabad Crime Branch said Aryan’s statement was recorded. The police issued a brief statement as there was an initial confusion that police had detained him.

However, the police clarified and said “no one has been arrested for making this video. A screen recording of a mobile video went viral. The minor who took the video gave the details of the video to the police.

“He came with his father to give a statement as a witness. He was then sent away with his father. No arrests or detentions have been made,” the police said.

Recounting the terrifying moments, Aryan said that within 24 seconds of his recording, the plane crashed.

“I felt very scared. My sister was the first one to see the video. I feel very scared because of what I saw,” the teenager recounted.

His sister expressed concern for her brother saying “Aryan showed me the video and told me he does not want to live here because it is dangerous. He is very scared. He is not able to speak properly.” The landlady of Aryan’s rented accommodation near the airport too spoke about Aryan’s distress.

“When I came after the incident, I found that he was unable to speak. I assured him... he remained awake for the entire night. He has become quiet, not even eating anything,” she said.