Ahmedabad, India: In a tragic air disaster, 241 people were killed and one person survived when an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport in western India.
The flight, bound for London Gatwick, was carrying a total of 242 passengers and crew when it crashed into a medical college hostel located in a nearby residential area, during the lunch hour. The impact and resulting fire caused at least 50 injuries on the ground, with five additional deaths confirmed.
Of the 230 passengers on board, 169 were Indian nationals, while the remaining 61 were foreign nationals, including 53 from the United Kingdom, 7 from Portugal, and 1 from Canada. The flight also included 11 children, among them 2 infants, and a crew of 12 members, consisting of 2 pilots and 10 cabin crew.
CCTV footage showing the takeoff of #AI171pic.twitter.com/WA6wTJ8if2
— Aviation Safety Network (ASN) (@AviationSafety) June 12, 2025
“Air India offers its deepest condolences to the families of the deceased. Our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of all those affected, their families and loved ones,” the airline wrote on social media.
India’s Home Minister Amit Shah confirmed the lone survivor, identified as Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who reportedly escaped using an emergency exit. Police Commissioner GS Malik said Ramesh was injured and is receiving treatment at a hospital. Senior officer Vidhi Chaudhary of the police informed Reuters about the rescue.
Commissioner Malik added that 204 bodies had initially been recovered, though the count included passengers as well as individuals possibly killed on the ground. Visuals from the crash site showed the wreckage strewn across the building, smoke rising from the debris, and the plane’s tail embedded on the rooftop of the hostel.
Mayday call
Preliminary video evidence indicates that the aircraft experienced engine failure within 15 seconds of takeoff, with both engines failing to maintain thrust despite the aircraft being a twin-engine model.
Investigators are currently examining several potential causes, including a hydraulic system failure, improper flap configuration, or a bird strike during takeoff. Notably, the landing gear remained deployed, which experts believe may have been an attempt to soften the impact during the crash.
According to air traffic control at Ahmedabad airport, the aircraft had issued a mayday call, signaling an emergency, but contact was lost soon after. Aviation-tracking site Flightradar24 confirmed that the crashed aircraft was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, a wide-body, twin-engine plane considered one of the most modern and safest passenger aircraft in commercial service.
The Aviation Safety Network stated that this is the first recorded crash involving a Boeing 787 since its introduction 15 years ago. Aviation analyst Alex Macheras told Al Jazeera that the 787 Dreamliner has had a clean safety record and is notable for its use of carbon-fiber construction and long-haul capability.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is from Gujarat where the incident occurred, expressed his condolences via social media, calling the tragedy ‘heartbreaking beyond words’ and said he was ‘stunned and saddened.’
Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu echoed the sentiment, stating he was ‘shocked and devastated,’ adding that rescue and medical teams had been urgently mobilized to the site. “All efforts are being made to ensure medical aid and relief support,” Kinjarapu noted on social media.
In the UK, Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the incident as ‘devastating’ and assured that the UK was working with Indian officials to clarify the facts and provide support to those affected.
The UK Foreign Office confirmed it is coordinating efforts, and the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has announced that it will dispatch a multidisciplinary investigation team to support the Indian-led probe into the crash.
This incident marks the deadliest aviation accident in India since 2020, when an Air India Express flight crash-landed at Kozhikode International Airport, resulting in 21 deaths after the plane overshot the runway.
As investigations continue, international attention is now focused on understanding what caused this rare and catastrophic crash involving one of the world’s most advanced commercial aircraft.
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