Air India Crash | Auto Driver Who Tried to Save Kids, Left With Several Injuries

"When I was trying to save the children, in that process, my feet also got burnt," Rajesh told The Quint.

Rajesh Patani saw the horrific Air India plane crash with his own eyes. While trying to save kids, he injured himself.

(Photo: The Quint)

Video Producer & Editor: Zijah Sherwani

Camera: Shiv Kumar Maurya

Rajesh Khodidas Patani was doing his duty — dropping off passengers to their destination. A 48-year-old auto driver had just completed a trip to the airport on Thursday, 12 June when he heard a loud noise.

Seconds later, Rajesh saw fire, smoke as a plane crashed into the BJ Medical college hostel. Rajesh got injuries from fragments of the aircraft and in the process of helping some children and locals, Rajesh ended up with injuries as he almost passed out.

Rajesh is the breadwinner in his family. He lives with 15 of his family members in Saraspur area of Ahmedabad. The Quint visited Rajesh and his family in their home.

Speaking to The Quint, he recalled, "The moment I was preparing to back in my auto, I heard a loud noise. I was the first to see the crash on the building and balls of fire hit my body. So I ran and then I fell. I saw some children were playing there so I picked them up and left them some meters away."

He further recalled that there was a woman, in her 70's, shouting "Help." That was when Rajesh took her hand and led her some meters away from the site of the crash.

Rajesh Patani at his home.

(Photo: Shiv Kumar Maurya/The Quint)

"I was going to save the third child when I started feeling that I might not make it myself. I ran for the third time but I fell and felt a brick against my chest. Then I couldn't get up so I crawled and reached some meters away."

He stated that after the horrific plane crash, some people were running away from the spot, while others were rushing in to see what happened.

When he fell to the ground, Rajesh made several efforts to ask for help, but nobody could help or listen to him, he said.

"I kept saying, 'take me' to the auto-wallahs and those on scooters, but none of them helped. Because everyone was trying to save themselves. Nobody knew what happened. My mobile also fell somewhere there. So I called my family with somebody else's mobile phone," he told The Quint.

Rajesh's wife, Usha Ben Patni, 46, was home and unaware of the ordeal his husband was going through. Until she got a call from her brother-in-law who informed her about Rajesh's injuries. Then they rushed to the spot.

Hospital documents and scans of Rajesh.

(Photo: Shiv Kumar Maurya/The Quint)

"I was home when I got a call from my brother-in-law. I was told that Rajesh was there and he got hurt. So I went there with my brother-in-law, his wife. He was not in a good condition. So we took him to the civil hospital," Usha told The Quint.

Upon reaching the hospital in an auto and then the trauma centre, Rajesh recalled what he saw.

"I saw many people crying, rushing here and there. I saw dead bodies come out of the ambulances too. They were even falling off the stretchers on the people. It was scary and overwhelming. There were some doctors who were injured too. Among the people, somebody lost his hand, another lost his leg."

Rajesh Patani to The Quint

"For now, even for standing I need some assistance. The place where I was standing with my auto, there was grass. Hence, even that got burnt in the crash. When I was trying to save the children, in that process, my feet also got burnt," Rajesh added.

As per the latest reports, the death count has reached 270. The casualties include the passengers and crew on the London-bound AI 171.