An Air India plane carrying 242 people crashed into the ground after taking off from Ahmedabad airport in India, breaking into pieces and bursting into flames.
Air India flight AI171 crashed this afternoon shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad airport in the Indian state of Gujarat. There were 230 passengers and 12 crew members on board.
Images on social media showed the plane descending and seemingly trying to gain altitude but failing. The plane crashed into the ground and exploded, creating a huge fireball that sent flames and black smoke billowing across the area.
The plane that crashed was a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, marking the first fatal accident of this type of aircraft. It is not clear what caused the plane to crash.
Local police said the plane crashed into a student cafeteria at the public BJ Medical College, then hit the resident doctors’ housing complex, all built near the airport. The tail of the plane stuck on the roof of a building.
According to police officials, emergency services have cleared 70-80% of the scene and will soon complete the work.
Part of the aircraft landing gear at the scene.
“It was like an earthquake. I was at home when I heard a loud bang and thick black smoke. When I arrived at the scene, I saw bodies and plane debris scattered everywhere,” a witness recalled.
CNN News-18 said the plane crashed into the dormitory dining area, killing many students.
Ramila, mother of a student, said her son had returned to the hostel during lunch break. “He is safe. He jumped from the second floor and suffered minor injuries,” she told ANI .
Damage seen from the canteen in the dormitory. On the tables are lunch food.
Firefighters put out the fire at the scene.
Ahmedabad police chief Prof Malik initially told the Associated Press that “there appeared to be no survivors” on the Air India plane and that there were likely casualties on the ground. However, he later said at least one passenger on board survived, who was in seat 11A.
Passengers on board included 169 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese and one Canadian. More than 204 bodies have been taken to hospitals in the city.
“We are saddened and shocked by the tragedy in Ahmedabad. The pain is beyond words,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on X.
“The tragic scene as a plane carrying many British nationals crashed in the Indian city of Ahmedabad while en route to London. My thoughts are with the passengers and their families at this incredibly sad time,” said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The Civil Aviation Authority of India said the plane that crashed was piloted by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, who had 8,200 hours of accumulated flying time, and co-pilot Clive Kundar, who had 1,100 hours of flying time.
Before the plane crashed, the co-pilot sent an emergency signal to the airport air traffic control tower, but did not respond when air traffic control contacted back.
Ahmedabad city hospital staff prepare to receive victims of the plane crash.
The last time India suffered an air tragedy was in 2020, when a plane operated by low-cost airline Air India Express skidded off the runway at Kozhikode International Airport in the south of the country, killing 21 people.
