A London-bound Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed minutes after takeoff from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday, killing all 242 people on board, according to preliminary reports. The flight, AI171, went down in a densely populated residential area shortly after issuing a Mayday call.
“Very tragic accident, we have lost a lot of people”: MEA responds
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal expressed grief over the devastating loss of life.
“We have lost a lot of people. Very tragic accident, extend our deepest condolences to people who lost loved ones,” Jaiswal said in a statement.
Crash details: Fireball after takeoff
According to Air Traffic Control (ATC), the aircraft departed from Runway 23 at 1:39 PM IST and soon after, issued a Mayday call. There was no response to subsequent attempts at contact.
Video footage shared widely on social media showed a massive plume of smoke and flames engulfing the crash site. Witnesses said the aircraft appeared to descend slowly with its landing gear still extended before exploding into a fireball upon impact.
Victims and nationalities
Air India confirmed that there were 242 people on board the aircraft, including:
There are no confirmed survivors, though some injuries on the ground have been reported. Victims from the crash site are being transported to nearby hospitals.
Experienced crew onboard
The flight was piloted by Capt. Sumeet Sabharwal, an experienced Line Training Captain with over 8,200 flight hours, and First Officer Clive Kundar, who had 1,100 hours of flying experience.
An official confirmed the aircraft crashed just beyond the airport perimeter.
“Heavy black smoke was seen coming from the accident site,” the official added.
Gujarat CM leads emergency response
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel rushed to Asarwa Civil Hospital to meet the injured and oversee rescue efforts.
“I have instructed officials to take immediate rescue and relief operations… and to make arrangements for immediate treatment of the injured passengers on a war footing,” he said in a post on X.
The Chief Minister also ordered the establishment of a green corridor to speed up medical transfers and assured priority treatment in all state-run hospitals.
Centre reacts: PM Modi, Amit Shah monitor situation
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the tragedy “heartbreaking beyond words” and said he has been in touch with central ministers and local authorities.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has flown to Gujarat to monitor the situation on the ground.
“The Honourable Union Home Minister Shri Amitbhai Shah has also spoken to me and assured full support of the NDRF teams and the Central Government,” CM Patel said.
Investigation underway
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) have launched a probe. Initial focus is on what may have caused the plane’s sudden descent and explosion just minutes after takeoff.
Discover more from News Hub
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
