Onlykashmir.in News Desk
Ahmedabad: A devastating tragedy struck yesterday when Air India Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, bound for London Gatwick. The flight, carrying 242 passengers and crew, including 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian, plummeted into a densely populated residential area near the airport, claiming the lives of 241 people onboard and an estimated 30–35 individuals on the ground. A British passenger, 40-year-old Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, seated in 11A next to an emergency exit, is the sole reported survivor from the aircraft.
The crash occurred at approximately 1:38 PM local time (9:08 AM BST) on June 12, 2025, moments after the plane issued a mayday call to air traffic control. According to Flightradar24, the aircraft reached a maximum altitude of 625 feet before losing signal, with CCTV footage capturing the plane descending rapidly and erupting into a fireball upon impact. The wreckage struck a doctors’ hostel and canteen at BJ Medical College, part of Ahmedabad’s Civil Hospital complex, causing significant casualties among medical students and staff dining at the time. Eyewitnesses described a chaotic scene, with thick black smoke, scattered debris, and people jumping from buildings to escape the flames.
Preliminary reports from senior pilots suggest the aircraft’s engines failed to generate sufficient thrust during takeoff, though the exact cause remains under investigation by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated there is “no indication” of safety concerns with the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, marking this as the first crash of the model since its commercial debut in 2011. Boeing President Kelly Ortberg expressed condolences and pledged full support to the investigation, which will analyze the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder to determine the sequence of events.
The disaster, one of the deadliest aviation incidents in a decade, has prompted global mourning. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the tragedy “heartbreaking beyond words.” At the same time, Union Home Minister Amit Shah met with the lone survivor and coordinated response efforts with Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.
DNA tests are underway to identify victims, many of whom were severely burned. Air India has arranged relief flights from Delhi and Mumbai for victims’ families, and Hindu temples in London, including in Harrow and Neasden, held vigils for those lost.
This crash adds to a troubling series of aviation incidents in 2025, including an American Airlines jet colliding with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter near Washington, DC, in January, and an Azerbaijan Airlines crash in December 2024. As rescue operations continue and investigators work to uncover the cause, questions about aviation safety and the Boeing 787’s performance are mounting, with the world watching closely for answers.
