MUMBAI, India — A tragic incident occurred today when an Air India flight carrying 242 people, including 12 crew members, crashed shortly after departing from Ahmedabad, bound for London.
The Indian health minister, Jagat Prakash Nadda, confirmed that there were many fatalities, but further details were not disclosed. As of now, authorities have reported that one passenger survived the crash.
Ahmedabad’s police commissioner, G.S. Malik, revealed in a statement to NPR that 204 bodies had been recovered from the crash site. Given that the plane went down in a residential area, local residents may have been among the deceased, adding to the tragedy’s toll.
A significant casualty confirmed was Vijay Rupani, a former chief minister of Gujarat state, who lost his life in the crash.
In a remarkable turn of events, a male passenger survived the crash and is currently receiving medical care in a local hospital, as reported by the BBC. Footage from the Press Trust of India captured frightening moments of the plane descending over residential buildings, followed by an explosion and a fireball.
According to Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, the director general of the directorate of civil aviation, the Boeing 787 crashed just five minutes after takeoff.
The ill-fated flight was scheduled to land at Gatwick Airport in London. Air India has disclosed that the passenger manifest included 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, one Canadian national, and seven Portuguese passengers.
Tragic scenes unfolded as multiple videos from residents featured images of charred bodies and dismembered remains at the crash site.
The death toll may rise, as reports indicated that some individuals were impacted when the plane or parts of it struck the cafeteria of a student hostel associated with BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad. A hospital official, who requested anonymity, stated that the hospital was already admitting casualties and indicated that up to 50 medical students were taken to the facility. There are at least four missing students, and at least two are in critical condition.
A doctor at the trauma center also mentioned that 90 people had been admitted for treatment, but requested anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
Further updates by Reuters indicated that around 30 bodies had been recovered from a nearby building affected by the crash.
In response to the devastating news, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his grief, describing the crash as a “tragedy” that has “stunned and saddened us all.”
He conveyed his heartfelt sentiments through a post on X, stating, “It is heartbreaking beyond words. In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it.”
Natarajan Chandrasekaran, chairman of the Tata Group which operates Air India, referred to flight AI171 as being involved in a “tragic incident.” He affirmed that the conglomerate was assisting emergency response teams and ensuring care and support for those affected. Following the accident, the airport from which the flight departed has suspended all operations.
This incident marks the first crash of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, according to data from the Aviation Safety Network. Before the crash, the aircraft issued a ‘Mayday’ call, indicating urgent distress.
A Boeing representative has stated that the company is aware of the crash reports and is actively attempting to gather more information.
Since its introduction in 2009, over 1,000 Boeing 787 aircraft have been operated around the world.
The National Transportation Safety Board announced it would lead a team of U.S. investigators to assist with the ongoing crash investigation.
In a related note, the New York Times reported in April 2024 that the Federal Aviation Administration was investigating allegations from a whistleblower — a Boeing engineer — who claimed that certain sections of the 787 Dreamliner were improperly assembled, posing a potential risk of catastrophic failure after extensive use. Boeing at that time asserted that this issue did not compromise flight safety.
Prior to this incident, the last major plane crash in India occurred in 2020, involving a Boeing 737 that skidded off a hilltop runway, resulting in 21 fatalities.
The current crash adds to the numerous challenges facing Boeing, which has struggled to restore its reputation following two tragic accidents involving the 737 Max 8 — an Ethiopian Airlines crash in 2019 that killed all onboard, and a Lion Air flight crash near Jakarta in October 2018, also with no survivors.
The crash’s timing is particularly unfortunate, as it comes just days before the Paris Air Show, where Boeing had planned to feature prominently.
This developing story will continue to unfold as more information becomes available.
image source from：https://www.npr.org/2025/06/12/nx-s1-5431419/air-india-crash-787-boeing-ahmedabad
