A London-bound passenger plane crashes shortly after takeoff in the city of Ahmedabad, India, with 242 passengers on board.
Footage of the deadly crash showed the Air India Boeing 787-8 flying low above a residential area before crashing and turning into a ball of flames.
According to reports from Sky News and Flightradar24, a flight tracking website, the plane lost communication. The location of the collision — the heavily populated residential neighbourhood of Meghani Nagar located outside Ahmedabad Airport in Gujarat — was identified by tall smoke columns. First responders rushed to the scene in a matter of seconds.
Indian Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu responded swiftly, saying, “I am personally monitoring the situation and have directed all aviation and emergency response agencies to take swift and coordinated action. Rescue teams have been mobilized. All efforts are being made to ensure medical aid and relief support are being rushed to the site. My thoughts and prayers are with all those on board and their families.”
Gatwick-bound plane crashes in India with 242 on board
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) June 12, 2025
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According to the initial police report about the tragedy, there have been no survivors. However, as rescue teams continued their extensive search, Ahmedabad police commissioner, G.S. Malik said there could be survivors.
Among those who escaped death is 40-year-old Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British national.
Unverified videos show Ramesh, who was believed to be in seat 11a, talking to the locals.
He was reported saying, “Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly.”
Krishna, a doctor who hasn’t revealed his full name spoke of the tragedy. “One half of the plane crashed into the residential building where doctors lived with their families. The nose and front wheel landed on the canteen building where students were having lunch,” he said.
Gatwick Airport issued a statement: “We can confirm that flight AI171 that crashed on departure from Ahmedabad Airport today was due to land at London Gatwick at 18:25.”
Julian Bray, an aviation specialist, told the Daily Mail: “It’s a Boeing Dreamliner that has gone down—not certain whether they’ve managed to get anybody off the plane. If it has indeed crash-landed and they can deploy the chutes out, then they should be able to get people off in 90 seconds. I am aware there are fire appliances in attendance—this is a major incident. It is very disappointing that it is a Dreamliner as it is a state-of-the-art Boeing. We cannot rule out security issues. But this is all speculation on my part.”
Jason Knight, senior lecturer in fluid mechanics at the University of Portsmouth, shared his thoughts on the possible cause of the tragic crash. “It is very unlikely that the plane was overweight or carrying too much fuel. The aircraft is designed to be able to fly on one engine, so the most likely cause of the crash is a double engine failure. The most likely cause of a double engine failure is a bird strike.”
The investigation is ongoing.
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