Air India confirms 241 on board plane killed in crash with one survivor

An Air India plane travelling from India to London crashed within moments of take-off on Thursday, killing 241 passengers and crew, and more people on the ground.

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which took off from the city of Ahmedabad, in western India, ploughed into a residential area, hitting a hospital complex and medical student hostel.

One passenger survived the disaster – a British national, who was sitting in seat 11A and who later told family he had no idea how he walked away.

It is not yet clear what caused the crash, which Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi described as “heartbreaking beyond words”.

Officials warned the death toll could rise in what was quickly described as one of the deadliest aviation disasters in India’s history.

Air India Flight AI171 departed Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 13:39 local time (08:09 GMT), and was due to touch-down at London’s Gatwick Airport at 18:25 BST.

There were 230 passengers on board, including 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese citizens, one Canadian and 12 crew members.

The local police chief told the BBC that 204 bodies had been recovered so far – but it is not known how many of those victims were on the plane or were on the ground.

Images from the scene show debris scattered across a large crash zone, with parts of the aircraft embedded in buildings.

The extraordinary news that one person had survived the disaster quickly made international headlines, as the British national, Vishwashkumar Ramesh, was filmed limping towards an ambulance, with smoke billowing in the background.

“Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise… it all happened so quickly,” he told local media from hospital.

His cousin, Ajay Valgi, said Mr Ramesh called his family to say he was “fine”, but he does not know the whereabouts of his brother, also called Ajay, who was on the plane with him.

Thursday’s incident was the first fatal crash involving a 787 Dreamliner, first introduced in 2011.

Boeing said in a statement that it “stands ready” to support the investigation, which is being led by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.

“We are in contact with Air India regarding Flight 171 and stand ready to support them. Our thoughts are with the passengers, crew, first responders and all affected,” the bureau said.

US and British investigators will travel to India, with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) saying it will assist Indian authorities.

India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the aircraft issued a mayday call seconds after take-off.

It lost contact with air traffic control shortly thereafter, crashing just outside the airport’s perimeter.

The crash site lies within a medical campus with 10 specialised centres. The BBC’s Sachin Pithva described scenes of chaos, with rescue workers retrieving the remains of those who perished.

Thick smoke was still billowing from the buildings hours after the crash, and passengers’ passports were strewn around, he reported.

Gujarat’s Additional Chief Secretary for Health confirmed the aircraft struck the students’ hostel and staff quarters of Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College and Civil Hospital.

“It crashed into the hostel mess and then bounced off on to one of the hostel buildings,” the hospital’s dean, Dr Meenkashi Parekh, told the BBC.

The crash happened at lunchtime when many students were in the canteen, she added. Photos show a huge part of the plane stuck in one of the hostel buildings, and a dusty, deserted mess hall with plates of uneaten food still on the tables.

“Most of the students escaped… but the building caught fire and the smoke was extremely thick. So, 10 to 12 students were trapped,” the dean said.

She added it was possible that several students had been killed. Officials said dozens were in hospital.

Tata Group, which owns Air India, has said it would give one crore rupee – the equivalent of about £86,000 – to the families of each person who was killed in the crash.

Prime Minister Modi wrote on X: “The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. It is heartbreaking beyond words. In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it.”

Both Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said they are being kept updated as the situation develops, while King Charles expressed his “deepest sympathies” to all those affected by the crash.

Starmer confirmed that a UK team had been dispatched to Gujarat to join the investigation as he urged families and friends of anyone affected to contact the Foreign Office.

Additional reporting by Tiffany Wertheimer