All 242 people on board Air India plane have died, Indian Express reports
AHMEDABAD: All 242 people on board the Air India plane that crashed on Thursday in Ahmedabad have died, local newspaper Indian Express said, citing police.
The plane was headed for Gatwick Airport, south of the British capital, Air India said, while police officers said it crashed in a residential area near the airport.
More than 100 bodies, most of them badly charred, had been brought to the local government hospital for autopsy, police said had said earlier.
'The building on which it has crashed is a doctors' hostel… we have cleared almost 70% to 80% of the area and will clear the rest soon,' a senior police officer told reporters.
Parts of the plane's body were scattered around the building into which it crashed, photographs and videos from the area showed. The tail of the plane was stuck on top of the building.
India's CNN News-18 TV channels said the plane crashed on top of the dining area of state-run B.J. Medical College hostel, killing many medical students as well.
The passengers included 217 adults, 11 children and two infants, a source told Reuters. Of them, 169 were Indian nationals, 53 were Britons, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian, Air India said.
Five Indian aircraft shot down
Aviation tracking site Flightradar24 said the plane was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, one of the most modern passenger aircraft in service.
It was the first crash for the Dreamliner, which began flying commercially in 2011, according to the Aviation Safety Network database. The plane that crashed on Thursday flew for the first time in 2013 and was delivered to Air India in January 2014, Flightradar24 said.
'At this moment, we are ascertaining the details and will share further updates,' Air India said on X. 'The injured are being taken to the nearest hospitals.'
Crash just after take-off
The crash occurred just after the plane took off, television channels reported. One channel showed the plane taking off over a residential area and then disappearing from the screen before a huge jet of fire can be seen rising into the sky from beyond the houses.
Visuals also showed debris on fire, with thick black smoke rising up into the sky near the airport.
They also showed people being moved in stretchers and being taken away in ambulances.
'My sister-in-law was going to London. Within an hour, I got news that the plane had crashed,' Poonam Patel, a relative of one of the passengers, told news agency ANI at the government hospital in Ahmedabad.
Ramila, the mother of a student at the medical college, told ANI her son had gone to the hostel for his lunch break when the plane crashed. 'My son is safe, and I have spoken to him. He jumped from the second floor, so he suffered some injuries,' she said.
Boeing shares fall 8% after Air India plane crashes
According to air traffic control at Ahmedabad Airport, the aircraft departed at 1:39 p.m. (0809 GMT) from runway 23. It gave a 'Mayday' call, signalling an emergency, but thereafter there was no response from the aircraft.
Flightradar24 also said that it received the last signal from the aircraft seconds after it took off.
U.S. aerospace safety consultant Anthony Brickhouse said one problematic sign from videos of the aircraft was that the landing gear was down at a phase of flight when it would typically be up.
'If you didn't know what was happening, you would think that plane was on approach to a runway,' Brickhouse said.
Boeing said it was aware of initial reports and was working to gather more information. Boeing shares fell 6.8% to $199.13 in pre-market trade.
Aircraft engine-maker GE Aerospace said that it would put a team together to go to India and analyse cockpit data, India's CNBC TV18 reported.
Britain was working with Indian authorities to urgently establish the facts around the crash and to provide support to those involved, the country's foreign office said in a statement posted on its website.
'The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us,' Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X. 'It is heartbreaking beyond words.'
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said images emerging of the crash were 'devastating', and that he was being kept informed as the situation developed. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said King Charles was also being kept updated.
Modi's home state
The Indian aviation minister's office said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had directed it to ensure all support was extended to the rescue efforts immediately.
Ahmedabad is the main city in Modi's home state of Gujarat.
Ahmedabad Airport, which suspended all flight operations after the crash, said it was operational again but with limited flights. The airport is operated by India's Adani Group conglomerate.
'We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragedy of Air India Flight 171,' Gautam Adani, founder and chairman of the group, posted on X.
'Our hearts go out to the families who have suffered an unimaginable loss. We are working closely with all authorities and extending full support to the families on the ground,' he said.
The last fatal plane crash in India was in 2020 and involved Air India Express, the airline's low-cost arm.
The airline's Boeing-737 overshot a 'table-top' runway at Kozhikode International Airport in southern India. The plane skidded off the runway, plunging into a valley and crashing nose-first into the ground.
Twenty-one people were killed in that crash.
The formerly state-owned Air India was taken over by Indian conglomerate Tata Group in 2022, and merged with Vistara – a joint venture between the group and Singapore Airlines – in 2024.
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Express Tribune
an hour ago
- Express Tribune
Why the Air India crash should alarm the world
Another plane crashed. Another 'Mayday' was called. Another tragedy unfolded — yet once again, international aviation authorities remain silent spectators. Air India Flight AI171 departed from Ahmedabad for London on June 12, 2025. It never made it. Of the 242 people on board, 241 perished. Only one survived. Flight details The investigation into the crash is ongoing, and while the precise cause has not yet been confirmed, several key details have emerged that may help shape the inquiry. The aircraft, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, was operating a long-haul flight to London Gatwick with 230 passengers and 12 crew members on board. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot issued a Mayday call, signaling a severe emergency. Moments later, the aircraft reached an altitude of approximately 825 feet before crashing near the airport perimeter. It slammed into a residential area, destroying a doctors' hostel. There were no adverse weather conditions at the time — the crash occurred in the clear light of afternoon. Maintenance records for the aircraft have yet to be released. The pilots were experienced: Captain Sumit Sabharwal had logged 8,200 flight hours, and First Officer Clive Kander had 1,100. Air crash investigation Investigators are now examining several potential causes. A technical failure is a primary suspect, especially in light of the Mayday call and rapid loss of altitude. Pilot error is also being considered. Additionally, concerns have been raised about the aircraft's heavy fuel load, which may have intensified the post-crash fire. India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Boeing are expected to lead the investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) from the US will provide technical assistance. The investigation is likely to examine various factors, including pilot training, aircraft maintenance, and air traffic control procedures. Questions overlooked Yet critical questions remain unanswered. Aviation expert Moeedur Rehman has pointed out that many possible causes — such as a bird strike, engine failure, or pilot misjudgment — are already being dismissed. But the more troubling questions are the ones no one dares ask: Was the pilot properly licensed? Were the aircraft's safety systems fully functional? Could he have been among the 4,000 Indian pilots implicated in the fake license scandal? History of disasters This is not an isolated tragedy. India has a long and troubling history of aviation disasters. In 2025, Air India Flight AI171 crashed in Ahmedabad, killing 241 people. In 2020, Air India Express Flight IX-1344 went down in Kozhikode, resulting in 21 fatalities. The 2010 crash of Flight IX-812 in Mangalore claimed 158 lives. In 1998, Alliance Air Flight 7412 crashed in Patna, killing 60. The 1996 mid-air collision over Charkhi Dadri led to 349 deaths, making it one of the deadliest aviation disasters in history. In 1993, Indian Airlines Flight 491 crashed in Aurangabad, killing 55. In 1990, Flight 605 went down in Bangalore, resulting in 92 fatalities. In 1988, Indian Airlines Flight 113 crashed in Ahmedabad, killing 133 people. And in 1978, Air India Flight 855 crashed into the Arabian Sea, claiming 213 lives. Nine major crashes, over a thousand lives lost — and yet the world remains quiet. Global institutions like International Air Transport Association (IATA), International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), and European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) have issued no statements, taken no action. Tragedy of double standards When a PIA flight crashes in Pakistan, international bodies respond immediately: bans are enforced, blacklists updated, emergency ICAO meetings held. Pakistan's aviation sector becomes the subject of ridicule and scrutiny. But when the same happens in India, a nation where 4,000 fake pilot licenses have surfaced, where pilots log 360 hours on a 35-minute flight, and where repeated accidents have killed over a thousand — there is silence. No bans. No blacklists. No accountability. Is the worth of human life determined by the nationality of the passengers? It is time to ask hard questions. If international organisations are offering India diplomatic leniency, they are not just undermining justice — they are compromising global air safety. The AI171 investigation must go beyond the black box. It must probe the authenticity of pilot training, the integrity of aviation licensing, the transparency of regulatory bodies, and, crucially, the silence of global institutions. Two hundred forty-one lives were extinguished. They cannot ask why. But we must. This was not merely a plane crash. It was a collapse of systems — technical, institutional, and moral. A failure not just of engineering, but of conscience. Obaidur Rehman Abbasi is an aviation consultant and former senior additional director for the Civil Aviation Authority All facts and information are the sole responsibility of the author
Business Recorder
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- Business Recorder
Death toll in India plane crash rises to at least 279
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Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Express Tribune
Rescue teams search wreckage after Air India crash in Ahmedabad kills over 240
[1/10] Kalpeshbhai Patni, 28, mourns as he sits outside the postmortem room at a hospital, for his brother Akash Patni, 14, who died when an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner plane crashed during take-off from an airport, in Ahmedabad, India, June 13, 2025. Photo:REUTERS Listen to article Rescue workers searched for missing people and aircraft parts in the charred buildings of a medical college hostel in Ahmedabad on Friday after an Air India plane crash killed more than 240 people in the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with 242 people on board bound for Gatwick Airport south of London took off over a residential area and then disappeared from view before a huge fireball was seen rising into the sky from beyond the houses, CCTV footage showed. Only one passenger survived after it crashed onto the hostel during lunch hour, causing deaths on the ground as well, which local media has put as high as 24. Reuters could not immediately verify the number. Rescue workers had completed combing the crash site and were now searching for missing people and bodies in the buildings as well as for aircraft parts that could help explain why the plane crashed soon after taking off. Local newspaper Hindustan Times reported that one of two black boxes from the plane had been found. Reuters could not verify the report and the paper did not say whether the flight data recorder or the cockpit voice recorder had been recovered. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was briefed by officials on the progress of rescue operations when he visited the crash site in his home state of Gujarat on Friday. Modi also met some of the injured being treated in the hospital. "The scene of devastation is saddening," he said in a post on X. Visited the crash site in Ahmedabad today. The scene of devastation is saddening. Met officials and teams working tirelessly in the aftermath. Our thoughts remain with those who lost their loved ones in this unimaginable tragedy. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 13, 2025 Residents living in the vicinity said that construction of the hostel for resident doctors was completed only a year ago and the buildings were not fully occupied. "We were at home and heard a massive sound, it appeared like a big blast. We then saw very dark smoke which engulfed the entire area," said 63-year-old Nitin Joshi, who has been living in the area for more than 50 years. Parts of the plane's fuselage were scattered around the smouldering building into which it crashed. The tail of the plane was stuck on top of the building. The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that an investigation into the crash was focusing on "whether the aircraft had a loss or reduction in engine thrust", citing unnamed sources. Reuters was not immediately able to verify the report. Air India Chief Executive Officer Campbell Wilson also arrived in Ahmedabad in the early hours of Friday. The company said the lone survivor, a British national, was undergoing treatment in the hospital. The man told Indian media how he had heard a loud noise shortly after Flight AI171 took off. Vidhi Chaudhary, a top state police officer, said on Thursday the death toll was more than 240, revising down a previous toll of 294 as it included body parts that had been double counted. The dead included Vijay Rupani, the former chief minister of Gujarat state, of which Ahmedabad is the main city. "Almost 70% of the passengers were found in their seats, most of them had their seatbelts on," a first responder told local newspaper Indian Express. Air India has said the investigation would take time. Planemaker Boeing has said a team of experts is ready to go to India to help in the probe. While Air India is not publicly traded, shares of rival airline IndiGo parent Interglobe Aviation and SpiceJet were both down 4% in early Friday trade. Boeing's shares fell 5% in the crash's wake on Thursday. It was the first crash for the Dreamliner, a wide-body airliner that began flying commercially in 2011, according to the Aviation Safety Network database. The plane that crashed on Thursday flew for the first time in 2013 and was delivered to Air India in January 2014, Flightradar24 said. The last fatal plane crash in India, the world's third-largest aviation market and its fastest growing, was in 2020 and involved Air India Express, the airline's low-cost arm. The formerly state-owned Air India was taken over by Indian conglomerate Tata Group in 2022, and merged with Vistara - a joint venture between the group and Singapore Airlines – in 2024.
