An Air India plane en route to London has crashed in the Indian city of Ahmedabad. More than 240 people have died in the disaster that occurred minutes after takeoff, ABC News reports.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was operating flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London on June 11, 2025 with 242 people on board (230 passengers and 12 crew). The aircraft crashed into the medical students' hostel of BJ Medical College, Ahmedabad, significantly increasing the death toll.
Air India confirmed that 241 of the 242 people on board had died. The sole survivor was 40-year-old Briton Ramesh Vishwashkumar, who told rescuers he heard a loud bang 30 seconds after takeoff, after which the plane began to fall.
This is the first fatal crash of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner in the history of this model. The crashed aircraft was used by Air India since January 2014.
Indian Home Minister Amit Shah said the recovery of the bodies was almost complete. He said about thousand DNA tests would be conducted to identify the victims. “The plane was carrying nearly 125 thousand litres of fuel and it was impossible to save anyone due to the high temperature,” the interior minister said.
Among the dead were 169 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese and one Canadian. The crew sent out a distress signal shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.
The causes of the crash have not yet been established. An investigation has been launched under the leadership of the Indian aviation authorities with the participation of international experts.
