Air India flight to London with 242 aboard crashes in Ahmedabad; one man survives

Ahmedabad: An Air India flight bound for London’s Gatwick Airport, carrying 242 people onboard, crashed into a building near Ahmedabad airport on Thursday afternoon. 

In the tragic incident, all but one person on board died. Vishwash, a British citizen, has been identified as the sole survivor of the Air India plane crash, according to the Hindustan Times.

The crash occurred around 2 pm in the Meghaninagar area, close to the airport. The aircraft was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. Air India confirmed that among them were 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese citizens, and one Canadian. The deceased include Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and a Malayali woman, Renjitha R Nair.

There are reports that five MBBS students of the hostel building, into which the aircraft crashed, also died.

Air India has set up a dedicated passenger helpline — 1800 5691 444 — for families seeking information.

According to the reports from police, the aircraft went down shortly after takeoff, sending plumes of thick black smoke into the sky.  Emergency responders reached the site promptly and have launched intensive rescue, evacuation, and firefighting operations.

"We are acquiring details about the casualties," said Deputy Commissioner of Police Kanan Desai. Fire tenders were rushed to the spot to douse the blaze, said fire officer Jayesh Khadia. 

 A doctor from the civil hospital, who was part of the rescue operations, said that he had come across around 15 to 20 severely burnt bodies in the aircraft wreckage.

"We saw about 15-20 burnt bodies lying in the debris of the aircraft that crashed into the building," Dr Krishna said. He added that one section of the aircraft had struck a residential block where several doctors resided with their families, while the front portion, including the nose and front landing gear, crashed into a canteen building where students were having lunch.

"One half of the plane crashed into the residential building where doctors lived with their families. While the nose and front wheel landed on the canteen building where students were having lunch," he said, adding, "We rescued some 15 students from the building and sent them to the civil hospital."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the Minister of Civil Aviation, Rammohan Naidu, and reviewed the Air India flight crash incident in Ahmedabad. The Minister informed the Prime Minister that he was rushing to Ahmedabad to oversee rescue and relief operations on the ground. The Prime Minister directed the Minister to ensure all necessary support was extended immediately and asked to be kept regularly updated on the situation. 

"Shocked and devastated to learn about the flight crash in Ahmedabad. We are on highest alert. I am personally monitoring the situation and have directed all aviation and emergency response agencies to take swift and coordinated action," Naidu said in a post on X.

Meanwhile, Boeing President and CEO Kelly Ortberg offered condolences on the incident and said that he had spoken with Air India Chairman N Chandrasekaran. "I have spoken with Air India Chairman N. Chandrasekaran to offer our full support, and a Boeing team stands ready to support the investigation led by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau," he said in a statement. 

The global aviation giant said that it will coordinate with India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) to provide information about Air India Flight 171.