At least 265 people, including 241 of the 242 on board an Air India flight bound for London, were killed on Wednesday when the plane crashed near the Meghaninagar area of Ahmedabad. The lone miraculous survivor was a 40-year-old British national of Indian origin Ramesh Vishwaskumar.
“Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise. There were dead bodies around me. I got scared. I got up and ran. There were pieces of the plane everywhere,” he told reporters.
In a post on X, Air India confirmed that only one of the 242 passengers onboard a flight that crashed in Ahmedabad had survived.
The flight—a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner—was en route to London with 242 people on board, including 230 passengers and 12 crew members. The aircraft went down close to Forensic Cross Road, not far from the city’s airport.
The plane crashed less than a minute after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad, police said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner of Police Kanan Desai told PTI, "265 bodies have reached the city civil hospital as per the message we received."
Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was among the passengers on the flight. Rupani, 68, was CM for two terms from August 7, 2016 to September 11, 2021, after winning the Gujarat Legislative Assembly elections from Rajkot West seat.
The 242 people on board the aircraft included two pilots and 10 cabin crew. The aircraft was under the command of Capt Sumeet Sabharwal with First Officer Clive Kundar.
Capt Sumeet Sabharwal had 8200 hours of experience, while the first officer had 1100 hours of flying experience, the DGCA said.
"As per ATC, the aircraft departed from Ahmadabad at 1339 IST (0809 UTC) from runway 23. It gave a MAYDAY Call to ATC, but thereafter, no response was given by the aircraft to the calls made by ATC. The aircraft, immediately after departure from Runway 23, fell on the ground outside the airport perimeter. Heavy black smoke was seen coming from the accident site," the DGCA said.
The crash was most probably caused by a bird (kite) hit, which resulted in the rare failure of both the engines simultaneously, say experts who are also former pilots well versed with the operations of this wide-bodied plane.
Meanwhile, at least five MBBS students, one PG resident doctor and a doctor's wife were among those killed after the plane crashed into residential quarters of the BJ Medical college. Over 60 medical students were injured in the crash.
"While four MBBS students living in the hostel died, 19 were injured. Five of them are serious. Two third-year students are untraceable," college dean Dr Minakshi Parikh told reporters.
"A doctor's wife was also killed while two relatives of other doctors were injured. Three members of a doctor's family went missing after the incident. All other doctors and relatives are safe," said Parikh.
The Tata Group announced that it will provide ₹1 crore to the families of each person who lost their life in the tragedy. "We will also cover the medical expenses of those injured and ensure that they receive all necessary care and support," said chairperson N Chandrasekaran.
Under the Montreal Convention, the airline is liable to pay a compensation amounting to 151,880 Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) per deceased passenger. This translates to approximately Rs 1.8 crore at current exchange rates to the next of kin.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited the crash site and confirmed that NDRF teams and other central agencies would provide every possible assistance in the ongoing rescue and relief efforts.
He said almost all passenger bodies have been recovered. He added that the temperature from the burning fuel was so high, no one could be saved.
"There was 1.25 lakh litre of fuel inside the plane and it caught heat so it was impossible to save anyone,"Shah told reporters.
Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said that he is personally monitoring the situation and have directed all aviation and emergency response agencies to take swift and coordinated action.
He said a formal investigation has been initiated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), in line with international protocols set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
"Additionally, the government is constituting a high-level committee comprising experts from multiple disciplines to examine the matter in detail.
"The committee will work to strengthen aviation safety and prevent such incidents in future," Naidu, who visited the crash site, said in a post on X.
Sources said, one of the black boxes of the Air India flight 171 has been recovered. The black box in the rear of the plane has been located by aviation officials.
The US National Transport Safety Board said it will be leading a team of US investigators travelling to India to assist the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau with its investigation into the flight crash.
US President Donald Trump offered support to India in the aftermath of the tragedy.
“I let them know that anything we can do, we’ll be over there immediately,” Trump said, adding that the United States is ready to extend all possible assistance.
Calling it one of the worst aviation disasters in history, he added, “It was a horrible crash. Nobody has any idea what it might have been.”
“I gave them a couple of pointers. We saw the plane, and it looked like it was flying pretty well, it didn’t look like there was an explosion. It just looked like maybe the engines lost power,” Trump said.
