More than 200 people were killed when an Air India flight bound for London crashed minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad on Thursday, in what is being called the world’s deadliest aviation disaster in a decade.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, carrying 242 passengers and crew, went down in a residential area, slamming into the B.J. Medical College doctors’ hostel near the airport during lunch hour. Authorities confirmed the aircraft was en route to Gatwick Airport, south of London.
Ahmedabad’s police chief G.S. Malik told Reuters that 204 bodies had been recovered so far. No survivors have been found, and The Indian Express reported all onboard were presumed dead. Malik noted the death toll includes both passengers and residents on the ground.
DNA samples from relatives are being collected to help identify victims, said Gujarat health secretary Dhananjay Dwivedi. “The building it crashed into is a doctors’ hostel. About 70–80% of the area has been cleared,” a senior police officer added.
Photos and video from the scene showed flaming debris and the tail of the aircraft lodged atop the building. The impact also killed several medical students who were in the dining area at the time of the crash, according to CNN-News18.
Air India confirmed the flight was carrying 217 adults, 11 children, and two infants. The passengers included 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese citizens, and one Canadian.
Flightradar24, an aviation tracking service, identified the aircraft as a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner—one of the most modern commercial jets. It had first flown in 2013 and was delivered to Air India in January 2014. This marks the first crash of a Dreamliner since the model entered service in 2011, according to the Aviation Safety Network.
Emergency Declared Minutes After Takeoff
The flight departed from runway 23 at 1:39 p.m. local time and issued a “Mayday” call shortly after. It then lost contact with air traffic control. Video footage captured the plane flying low over residential rooftops before a fireball erupted in the distance.
Witnesses reported seeing debris burning and thick black smoke rising. Rescue teams rushed to the site, carrying victims on stretchers to ambulances.
“My sister-in-law was going to London. Within an hour, we were told the plane had crashed,” said Poonam Patel, waiting outside a government hospital. Ramila, a parent of a medical student, said her son was injured but survived by jumping from the second floor.
Aerospace safety expert Anthony Brickhouse noted that video footage showing the plane’s landing gear down at a phase when it should have been retracted is a troubling detail. “You’d think it was coming in for a landing, not just taking off,” he said.
Global Reactions and Investigation Underway
Boeing said it was monitoring the situation and gathering details. GE Aerospace, which manufactures the plane’s engines, will dispatch a team to analyze cockpit and flight data.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the crash was “devastating,” and King Charles released a statement expressing his and Queen Camilla’s deep shock. The UK Foreign Office said it was coordinating with Indian authorities to assist families.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose home state is Gujarat, said he was “heartbroken” by the tragedy. He directed aviation and emergency services to provide full support to rescue and recovery operations.
Ahmedabad Airport, operated by the Adani Group, temporarily suspended operations but later resumed limited services. “We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragedy of Air India Flight 171,” wrote group chairman Gautam Adani. “We stand with the families enduring this unimaginable loss.”
