Indian authorities have reported that at least 260 people lost their lives when an Air India flight destined for Gatwick Airport crashed shortly after departure.
The aircraft, carrying 242 individuals, went down just minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad, marking one of the worst aviation disasters in a decade.
The fatalities included individuals on the ground as the plane, en route to Gatwick, collided with a medical college hostel during lunchtime.
According to police, at least one passenger survived, describing how he heard a loud noise shortly after takeoff when speaking to Indian media.
State police officer Vidhi Chaudhary confirmed that they found one survivor in seat 11A, located next to an emergency exit, indicating there might be additional survivors in medical care.
“Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane went down,” stated 40-year-old Vishwash Kumar Ramesh to the Hindustan Times, which later verified his boarding pass for seat 11A online.
“It all unfolded so rapidly,” he recounted from his hospital bed.
“When I got up, there were bodies surrounding me. I was terrified. I stood and ran amidst the aircraft debris,” he explained. “Someone helped me into an ambulance that took me to the hospital.”
The 242 individuals aboard consisted of 217 adults and 11 children.
He mentioned that his brother, Ajay, sat in a different row and that he couldn’t locate him anymore. “He was traveling with me, and I’m desperate to find him,” he pleaded.
Ahmedabad police chief GS Malik indicated that the deceased could consist of both passengers and casualties on the ground.
Among the dead was Vijay Rupani, the former chief minister of Gujarat state, where Ahmedabad is the largest city.
Relatives have been asked to provide DNA samples to identify the deceased, as informed by state health secretary Dhananjay Dwivedi during a press briefing.
Parts of the aircraft’s fuselage were strewn around the burning building it struck, with the tail becoming lodged on the structure.
The passenger list included 217 adults, 11 children, and two infants, according to a source who spoke with Reuters. The group comprised 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian, according to Air India.
Watch: First responders at the crash site of the Air India plane.
The aircraft involved was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, recognized as one of the most advanced passenger planes currently in operation.
This incident marked the first crash of the Dreamliner, which entered commercial service in 2011, according to the Aviation Safety Network.
The crashed aircraft had its inaugural flight in 2013 and was handed over to Air India in January 2014, as reported by Flightradar24.
India’s aviation minister announced that a formal probe had begun to investigate the underlying causes of this tragic air crash.
The incident occurred shortly after takeoff, as detailed by television reports. One channel displayed footage of the plane taking off over a residential area, abruptly vanishing from view before a massive plume of fire erupted into the sky beyond the homes.
Visuals also depicted burning debris, with thick black smoke billowing into the air near the airport.
Footage showed individuals being transported on stretchers and loaded into ambulances.
“My sister-in-law was bound for London. Within an hour, I received news of the crash,” recounted Poonam Patel, a relative of one of the passengers, at the government hospital in Ahmedabad.
Ramila, the mother of a medical college student, shared that her son was at the hostel for his lunch break when the plane struck.
Watch: Aircraft fragment protrudes from the building after the crash.
“My son is safe, and I have spoken to him. He jumped from the second floor, resulting in some injuries,” she reported.
As per air traffic control at Ahmedabad Airport, the plane departed shortly after 8 a.m. Irish time.
The aircraft emitted a “Mayday” call, indicating an emergency; however, there was no subsequent communication from the plane.
Flightradar24 also noted that it received the final signal from the aircraft mere seconds after takeoff.
Air India confirmed that the plane crashed in a residential area of Ahmedabad.
US aerospace safety consultant Anthony Brickhouse noted a concerning detail from videos of the aircraft; the landing gear appeared to be down at a stage of flight when it is usually retracted.
“To an untrained observer, it might seem like the plane was approaching a runway,” said Brickhouse.
Boeing acknowledged awareness of initial reports and stated that they are working to gather further information. Following the news, Boeing’s stock fell 6.8% to $199.13 in pre-market trading.
Britain is collaborating with Indian officials to promptly ascertain the facts surrounding the crash and to provide assistance to those affected, as stated by the country’s foreign office in a released statement.
“The tragedy in Ahmedabad has left us in shock and sorrow,” wrote Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on X.
“It is profoundly heartbreaking.”
Watch: Smoke billows as the London-bound plane crashes in India.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer characterized the images emerging from the crash as “devastating,” and he is being kept updated as the situation evolves. A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace stated that King Charles is also receiving updates.
The Indian aviation minister’s office noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has instructed them to ensure immediate support for the rescue operations.
Ahmedabad is the principal city in Modi’s home state of Gujarat.
Ahmedabad Airport temporarily halted all flight operations following the crash but has since resumed limited services. The airport is run by India’s Adani Group conglomerate.
“We are deeply shocked and saddened by the tragedy of Air India Flight 171,” expressed Gautam Adani, founder and chairman of the group, on X.
“Our hearts go out to the families enduring unimaginable loss. We are collaborating with all authorities and providing full support to the affected families,” he added.
The last fatal aviation incident in India occurred in 2020, involving Air India Express, a budget airline of the carrier.
The Boeing-737 that crashed had overshot a “table-top” runway at Kozhikode International Airport in southern India.
The aircraft skidded off the runway, plunging into a gorge and crashing nose-first into the earth.
Twenty-one individuals perished in that incident.
Air India was privatized when the Tata Group acquired it in 2022 and subsequently merged with Vistara – a joint endeavor between the group and Singapore Airlines – in 2024.
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