In one of India’s worst aviation tragedies, an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport on Thursday, with 241 people feared dead.
The London-bound aircraft was carrying 242 passengers and of whom 10 were crew members, 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, one Canadian and seven Portuguese.
Meanwhile, the authorities confirmed that one passenger miraculously survived and he is identified as Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British national.
Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik said the survivor, seated in 11A, is currently receiving treatment at a local hospital. He was seen limping near the crash site shortly after the incident.
“Rescue efforts are still ongoing. We cannot confirm the final death toll yet,” he told Indian news agency ANI.
Police sources told the BBC that 204 bodies have been recovered from the wreckage, although it remains unclear whether all were from the aircraft or if any were people on the ground.
Speaking to Hindustan Times from his hospital bed, Vishwash recounted the harrowing moment: “About 30 seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane just crashed.”
Still clutching his boarding pass, he described waking up to a scene of devastation.
“There were bodies all around me. I was scared. I just ran. Someone helped me into an ambulance and brought me here.”
Vishwash was travelling with his brother Ajay Kumar Ramesh, who was seated elsewhere on the plane. Tearfully, he said, “We had visited Diu together. I can’t find him. Please help me.”
The doomed flight, Air India 171, was en route to London’s Gatwick Airport and included 53 British nationals and 11 children.
Tragically, the aircraft crashed into a residential building on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, setting the area ablaze.
According to the Indian Express, the aircraft struck a hostel building housing medical students, killing at least five people on the ground.
Ahmedabad Airport confirmed that flight operations have been suspended immediately following the crash.
The aircraft took off from runway 23 at 1:39 pm local time (0809 GMT) and issued a “Mayday” distress signal shortly before losing contact.
Aviation tracker Flightradar24 reported that the last signal from the aircraft was received just seconds after departure.
The plane, delivered to Air India in 2014, was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner – one of the world’s most modern passenger aircraft.
According to the Aviation Safety Network, this marks the first fatal crash involving this model since it began commercial service in 2011.
Visuals from the scene showed thick black smoke and blazing wreckage near the airport. Emergency crews were seen carrying the injured on stretchers and rushing them to the hospital.
“My sister-in-law was flying to London. Within an hour, we heard it had crashed,” Poonam Patel, waiting outside the government hospital, told reporters.
Ramila, whose son studies at the affected hostel, told ANI that he had gone to the dining hall for lunch when the crash occurred. “He jumped from the second floor and got injured, but thank God, he is safe.”
Condolences have poured in from across the world. Chief Adviser Prof Mohammad Yunus, on behalf of BNP’s acting chairman, expressed deep sympathy for the victims.
“We are shocked to learn of the tragic crash. Our hearts go out to the families who have lost loved ones,” he said in a message to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “We stand in solidarity with the people and government of India.”
Indian Prime Minister Modi, whose home state is Gujarat, has directed aviation authorities to provide full support for rescue operations.
“The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us,” he posted on X (formerly Twitter). “It is heartbreaking beyond words.”
