Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the crash “heartbreaking beyond words,” directing Home minister Amit Shah and Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu to oversee relief efforts. President Droupadi Murmu, US President Donald Trump, UK’s King Charles and Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences.
Bhopal: In one of the worst tragedies in the history of civil aviation, at least 265 people including 241 people aboard a London bound Air India plane and remaining on the ground who included at least 4 MBBS students and a doctor were feared killed when the plane crashed moments after its take off from Ahmedabad Airport on Thursday (June 12, 2025) afternoon. Ex-Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani was one of the passengers killed, as per police and other officials as reported from Ahmedabad.
The plane- AI171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, plummeted at BJ Medical College junior doctors’ hostel, killing the 4 MBBS students, a doctor and others. A number of students and doctors sustained injuries.
The Guardian has reported casualties of 290 passengers and bystanders.
This is the first-ever crash of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, as per reports.
A British citizen 40-year-old Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British-Indian, is said to be the lone survivor of the crash, who was sitting on seat no. 11A next to the Emergency Exit on the plane. However, his brother who was also on the plane was feared killed.
As per officials, among the 242 abroad the plane 169 passengers were Indians. As many as 53 were British nationals and there were seven Portuguese and one Canadian.
The crash site, a residential area, saw significant damage, with debris scattered across the hostel’s dining hall.
Ahmedabad airport suspended operations until 4:05 PM. Air India organized relief flights from Delhi and Mumbai for victims’ families, with hotlines (1800 5691 444, +91 8062779200) for information. Blood donation centers were set up to aid the injured.
Union Home minister Amit Shah who visited the site told the journalists that a British citizen had survived the crash.
About others, he said there was 1.25 lakh litre of fuel inside the plane, hence there was so much heat after the plane caught fire that it was impossible to save anyone.
As per reports, the plane took off at 1:39 PM and immediately issued a MAYDAY call. It lost contact with air traffic control within a minute, crashing after reaching a maximum altitude of 825 feet.
CCTV footage showed the aircraft flying low, struggling to gain altitude, before descending and exploding.
Experts have noted that the landing gear was down, something unusual after take-off, suggesting some probable technical issues.
Emergency services, including NDRF, Indian Army, CRPF, and fire brigades were deployed. The NSG recovered a black box to aid the investigation led by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), with support from the UK’s AAIB and US NTSB due to British and American involvement (Boeing aircraft and British passengers).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the crash “heartbreaking beyond words,” directing Home minister Amit Shah and Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu to oversee relief efforts.
President Droupadi Murmu, US President Donald Trump, UK’s King Charles and Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences.
Tata Group, Air India’s owner, pledged Rs 1 crore per deceased victim’s family and medical expense coverage for the injured.
