Share this @internewscast.com
This article contains graphic content and may be distressing for some readers.
An Air India plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, India, headed for London, resulting in over 240 fatalities, marking it as the most severe aviation disaster in a decade, according to officials.

On board the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, traveling to Gatwick Airport just south of London, there were 242 passengers and crew, of which only one individual survived when the plane crashed into a medical college hostel on Thursday night AEST.

The sole survivor is a British national of Indian origin who is being treated in a hospital, the airline confirmed. The man told Indian media how he had heard a loud noise shortly after Flight AI171 took off.
“We are still verifying the number of dead, including those killed in the building where the plane crashed,” Vidhi Chaudhary, a top state police officer, told Reuters.

The initial death count was overestimated at 294, but has since been adjusted to over 240. At this time, it is not certain how many of those lost were on the plane versus on the ground.

A map showing where a plane crashed shortly after taking off. An inset shows the city of Ahmedabad in India's west.

Flight information from Ahmedabad Airport indicated the aircraft took off at 1:39 p.m. It signaled a Mayday alert, indicating an emergency, but subsequent communication from the plane ceased. Source: SBS News

‘It all happened so quickly’

The only known surviving passenger was in seat 11A, next to an emergency exit, Chaudhary said, adding that there could be more survivors in hospital.
“Thirty seconds after take off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed,” 40-year-old Ramesh Viswashkumar told the Hindustan Times, which showed a boarding pass for seat 11A in that name online.
“It all happened so quickly,” he told the paper from his hospital bed.

“When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran. There were pieces of the plane all around me,” he said. “Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital.”

Ahmedabad police chief GS Malik said the bodies recovered could include both passengers and people killed on the ground. Among those killed was Vijay Rupani, the former chief minister of Gujarat state, of which Ahmedabad is the main city.
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 passengers included 217 adults, 11 children and two infants, a source told Reuters. Air India said 169 were Indian nationals, 53 were Britons, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian.

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.

Plane crashed just after take off

CCTV footage showed the plane taking off over a residential area and then disappearing from the screen before a huge fireball could be seen rising into the sky from beyond the houses.

According to air traffic control at Ahmedabad Airport, the aircraft departed at 1:39 pm. It gave a Mayday call, signalling an emergency, but thereafter there was no response from the aircraft.

Officials inspect the site of a plane crash.

Officials inspect the site of a plane crash near Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Source: AAP / Rajat Gupta/EPA

India’s Civil Aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu said that a formal investigation has been initiated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.

“The government is constituting a high-level committee comprising experts from multiple disciplines to examine the matter in detail,” he added.
Boeing chief executive Kelly Ortberg said that he has spoken with the Air India chairperson to offer full support, and that a team stands ready to support the investigation. The airline chief executive, Campbell Wilson, said the investigation would take time and expressed “deep sorrow” about the incident.
The United States transportation secretary said the Federal Aviation Administration was working with Boeing and aircraft engine-maker GE Aerospace in the investigation.

Britain was also working with Indian authorities to establish the facts around the crash and to provide support to those involved, the country’s foreign office said.

‘Heartbreaking beyond words’

“The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X. “It is heartbreaking beyond words.” Gujarat is Modi’s home state.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said images of the crash were “devastating”. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said King Charles was also being kept updated.
US President Donald Trump called the crash “terrible”.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Forrestfield fire

Family Barely Avoids Fire Caused by a Battery at Home

A home south-east of Perth turned into a furnace, swallowed by flames…
those on board were evacuated on the runway, according to American Airlines and Denver International Airport.

Plane Evacuated on Runway Due to Landing Gear Problem

More than 150 passengers on an American Airlines flight departing from Denver…

INXS Tops Triple J’s Hottest Aussie 100 with “Never Tear Us Apart”

Aussie power ballad Never Tear Us Apart by 1980s rock royalty INXS…
An 18-year-old man has been granted bail after allegedly stabbing a backpacker who was trying to break up a fight in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley.

Good Samaritan Reportedly Stabbed While Intervening in Brisbane Fight

An 18-year-old man has been granted bail after an incident which allegedly…

Australian Homebuyers Paying Premiums Up to $1.3 Million for Top Public School Zones

Families are spending substantial sums — sometimes exceeding a million dollars —…

Kaden Groves Clinches Stage 20 Victory in Tour de France; Pogačar Nears Fourth Title Triumph

Australia’s Kaden Groves has completed his set of grand tour stage wins…
Former rugby league TV reporter Tiffany Salmond (pictured) has accused another footy television star of lying to her about being single before their bombshell phone call last year

TV Sports Host Who Says She’s ‘Too Attractive’ for Networks Drops Bombshell on Phone Call Controversy That ‘Broke Up Celebrity Couple’

Former NRL host Tiffany Salmond claims that football journalist Jake Duke misled…

Donald Trump’s Golf Outing in Scotland Sparks Protests

US President Donald Trump played golf under stringent security on his first…
Rita Ora proved she could nail off-duty chic just as well as she put on a sizzling display as she headed out for a walk in Saint Tropez with her husband Taika Waititi on Saturday

Rita Ora Shows Off Her Legs in Striking Leather Shorts While Strolling with Husband Taika Waititi in Saint Tropez

She never fails to turn heads at many a glamorous red carpet…
US President Donald Trump

Trump’s Scotland Visit Mixes Politics with Business Interests

Battered by chilly winds and facing the restless, steel-toned waters of the…

“Astronomer Ad Takes Spotlight: Fans Buzzing After Coldplay Kiss Cam Controversy”

Gwyneth Paltrow is starring in a new ad for Astronomer. Almost a…
Phillip Botha has seen a new wave of customers with a growing enthusiasm for chillies

Exploring the Fiery Realm of Super Spicy Chillies and the Australians Who Adore Them

Phillip Botha’s spice shop in Perth‘s north-east attracts three main types of…