Ahmedabad, June 13 - Tragedy struck when Air India Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, India, on June 12, 2025, en route to London Gatwick Airport. The flight, carrying 242 passengers and crew, including 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, one Canadian, and seven Portuguese nationals, departed at 1:39 p.m. local time. Within minutes, the aircraft encountered a catastrophic failure, reaching a maximum altitude of just 625 feet before descending rapidly and crashing into the Meghani Nagar area, a densely populated residential neighborhood near the airport. The impact resulted in a devastating loss of life, with Air India confirming that 241 of the 242 people on board perished, alongside at least 24 individuals on the ground, including medical students in a hostel struck by the plane.
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The sole survivor, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British national seated in 11A, was found amid the wreckage and is receiving treatment in a local hospital, reportedly in stable condition despite multiple injuries. The aircraft, registered as VT-ANB, issued a “Mayday” distress call moments before the crash, signaling a severe emergency. Preliminary data from Flightradar24 indicates the plane struggled to gain altitude, with its landing gear extended and wing flaps retracted, suggesting possible technical malfunctions or misconfigurations. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, a model previously regarded for its strong safety record, crashed into a building identified as the BJMC UG hostel mess, triggering a massive plume of black smoke visible across Ahmedabad.
Emergency services, including fire brigades, ambulances, and Central Industrial Security Force personnel, were swiftly deployed to the site, where rescue operations faced challenges due to the intensity of the fire and the scale of destruction. The Ahmedabad airport was temporarily shut down, disrupting flight operations, including the return of an IndiGo flight from Kolkata. Authorities have mobilized extensive response measures. The Ministry of Civil Aviation activated an Operational Control Room in New Delhi to coordinate efforts. Ahmedabad’s Civil Hospital issued helplines to assist families seeking information about passengers and those injured on the ground. DNA testing is underway to identify victims, as many bodies were severely disfigured.
The search for the aircraft’s black box, a critical tool for understanding the crash’s cause, continues, with investigators exploring possibilities such as a bird strike, common at Ahmedabad airport, or mechanical failure. Indian officials, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu, are overseeing the response, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing condolences and emphasizing support for affected families. The crash, the first involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, has raised questions about the aircraft’s configuration and prompted Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg to pledge support for the investigation. As rescue operations persist and the nation mourns, the focus remains on supporting the bereaved and uncovering the factors behind this unprecedented tragedy.