Air India crash kills over 290 in Ahmedabad

Newsflash and Agencies

AHMEDABAD, India, 12 June– More than 290 people were killed on Thursday when an Air India flight en route to London crashed just minutes after taking off from the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, marking the deadliest aviation accident globally in the past ten years.

The aircraft, carrying 242 people, plummeted onto a medical college hostel during lunchtime, killing both passengers and people on the ground.

Authorities confirmed the flight was heading to London’s Gatwick Airport when it went down. According to police, at least one person survived. “Approximately 294 people have died, including students who were inside the building the plane hit,” said Vidhi Chaudhary, a senior police official. One survivor, seated in 11A by an emergency exit, was found alive and taken to a hospital.

Speaking from his hospital bed, 40-year-old Ramesh Viswashkumar recounted the terrifying ordeal: “Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and the plane crashed. When I stood up, I saw bodies around me. Someone helped me into an ambulance.” He added that his brother, Ajay, who was sitting in another row, remained missing.

Ahmedabad’s police chief, G.S. Malik, confirmed that the fatalities included passengers and ground victims, among them Vijay Rupani, Gujarat’s former chief minister. Authorities are now using DNA samples to identify the remains, said state health secretary Dhananjay Dwivedi. Wreckage from the aircraft, including the tail lodged atop the hostel building, was strewn across the smouldering site.

Among the passengers were 217 adults, 11 children, and two infants. A source told Reuters that the nationalities included 169 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian. The aircraft was identified as a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner—one of the most advanced airliners in operation—delivered to Air India in 2014 after its maiden flight in 2013. This marks the first crash involving a Dreamliner since the model entered service in 2011.

Crash sparks global probe

The plane crashed moments after departure, with television footage capturing it flying over a residential area before vanishing and erupting into a fiery explosion. “My sister-in-law was headed to London. Within an hour, we learned the plane had crashed,” said Poonam Patel at the Ahmedabad government hospital.

A mother named Ramila, whose son studies at the affected hostel, said he had just gone for his lunch break when the crash occurred. “He jumped from the second floor and is injured but alive,” she told ANI.

Rescuers watch a tail o f the ill-fated Air India plane. Photo/The Independent

Air traffic control records showed the aircraft left the runway at 1:39 p.m. (0809 GMT) and issued a Mayday distress signal shortly afterward, before losing all contact. Aerospace expert Anthony Brickhouse noted a worrying anomaly—video footage revealed the landing gear was still deployed during ascent. “It looked like a plane on approach, not takeoff,” he remarked.

Boeing has initiated contact with Air India and is collecting more data. Shares of Boeing dropped 5% following the crash, complicating efforts by its new CEO to rebuild confidence amid persistent safety concerns. GE Aerospace, the engine supplier, is dispatching a team to assess cockpit data, as reported by CNBC TV18.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board announced it would lead a team to India to assist in the probe. Meanwhile, the British government is cooperating with Indian officials to determine the facts and support those affected.

Narendra Modi: ‘We are stunned’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose home state is Gujarat, posted: “The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. It is heartbreaking beyond words.” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the scenes “devastating,” and Buckingham Palace confirmed King Charles was being kept informed.

Ahmedabad Airport, which had suspended all operations after the crash, has resumed limited services. Operated by India’s Adani Group, the airport has become the focus of rescue and recovery efforts.

This is the first fatal air crash in India since 2020, when an Air India Express jet skidded off a runway in Kerala, killing 21 people. Air India, previously state-owned, was acquired by the Tata Group in 2022 and merged with Vistara in 2024.