India, June 10 -- Even a year after the devastating Air India crash involving flight AI-171, one of the first responders at the site says his greatest regret remains that more lives could not be saved during the tragedy that killed 260 people.

Satinder Singh Sandhu, a supervisor with 108 Emergency Services, was among the first to reach the crash site near Ahmedabad Civil Hospital in Asarwa, barely 200 metres from the BJ Medical College hostel complex where the aircraft went down.

He recalls hearing a massive explosion at around 1:31 pm on June 12, 2025, followed by a thick plume of smoke rising from the hostel area. Initially fearing a bomb blast, he rushed towards the site and alerted senior officials to send additional ambulances and ...