Plane crashes in Ahmedabad with more than 200 people on board
Air India flight travelling to London crashed after takeoff from Ahmedabad, India
An Air India flight crashed earlier today just after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA) in the city of Ahmedabad, western India. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, operating as Flight AI171, was en route to London Gatwick when it went down in Meghaninagar, a residential area near the airport, striking a hostel housing medical students from BJ Medical College.
The aircraft was carrying a total of 242 people, including 230 passengers, two pilots and 10 crewmembers. Air India confirmed via a statement on X that those on board included 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian.
Emergency response teams were dispatched immediately to the crash site, where rescue operations remain ongoing. So far, 270 bodies have been recovered. The fatalities include passengers on the plane and those who were on the ground when the aircraft crashed. Both parts of the black box, the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder, have now been located and are undergoing analysis.
In a recent update, Commissioner Malik told reporters that one passenger from the flight had been found alive and transported to hospital for treatment. The man, a British national, is the only survivor of the 242 people on board.
Air India’s Chairman, Natarajan Chandrasekaran, referred to the incident as a “tragic accident” in a statement shared on X. He confirmed that support teams had been set up for families seeking information.
In April, ITIJ reported on US aviation safety, looking at some recent accidents involving aircraft.