Mumbai, June 13 (IANS) Aishwarya Toshniwal from Akola district in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region, who is a second-year student at the BJ Medical College in Meghani Nagar area of Ahmedabad, narrowly escaped the Air India plane crash.

Toshniwal said, “This was the most terrifying experience of my life, which I will never forget.”

She saved her life by pulling herself out of the smoke from the fifth floor and wrapping a blanket around herself.

Toshniwal, a resident of Durga Chowk in Akola, was sleeping on the fifth floor of the second building of the hostel when the accident occurred.

Suddenly, there was a loud noise and smoke billowed everywhere. Despite that, Toshniwal managed to save her life by making her way through the thick smoke.

One of the family members of Toshniwal from Akola said, “Aishwarya is studying in the second year of DM Oncopathology at Gujarat Cancer Research Institute Medical College, Ahmedabad. She had returned to Ahmedabad from Akola after celebrating her grandfather’s birthday. She was suddenly woken up by a loud noise while sleeping.”

“When she woke up, there was smoke everywhere. Realising the seriousness of the situation, Aishwarya wrapped herself in a blanket and saved her life by finding a way through the darkness and smoke and coming down from the fifth floor. Aishwarya had burn marks on her face, hands and legs,” the family member said.

In a panic, Aishwarya immediately called her father, Amol Toshniwal, who was at his saree shop in Durga Chowk, Akola, at that time. As soon as he received his daughter’s call, he was shocked and closed the shop and immediately went home.

Amol Toshniwal said, “We were shocked when we saw the news on TV. But by the grace of God, our daughter survived such a big accident.”

Aishwarya’s mother, Madhuri Toshniwal and her grandparents thanked God amid tears.

The grandfather said, “Our granddaughter had come for my birthday, but she had to face such an accident. I thank God a hundred times that she is safe.”

The shocked Toshniwal family has expressed their condolences to those injured and killed in the accident.

–IANS

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