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

An India air plane traveling from India to London crashed in a few moments of takeoff 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 the west of India, entered a residential area, hitting a hospital complex and a medical student inn.

A passenger survived the disaster – a British national, who was sitting in the 11a siege and who later said to his family that he did not know how he had left.

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

Officials have warned that the number of deaths could increase in what has been quickly described as one of the deadliest aeronautical disasters in India’s history.

Air India Flight AI171 left Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 13:39 Local time (08:09 GMT), and was to touch the London Gatwick Airport at 18:25 BST.

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

The local police chief told the BBC that 204 bodies had been recovered so far – but we do not know how many of these victims were on the plane or were on the ground.

The images of the scene show debris dispersed on a large area of ​​crash, with parts of the plane integrated into the buildings.

The extraordinary news that a person had survived the disaster quickly made the headlines of the international newspapers, while the British national, Vishwashkumar Ramesh, was filmed in a box to an ambulance, with smoke that broke in the background.

“Thirty seconds after takeoff, there was a strong noise … Everything happened so quickly,” he told local hospital media.

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

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

Boeing said in a statement that “was ready” to support the investigation, which is led by the India Aircraft accident investigation office.

“We are in contact with Air India concerning flight 171 and we are ready to support them. Our reflections are with the passengers, the crew, the first stakeholders and all the affected,” said the office.

American and British investigators will go to India, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) saying that it will help the Indian authorities.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation of India (DGCA) said that the plane had published a May call after takeoff.

He lost contact with air traffic control shortly after, crashed just outside the airport perimeter.

The accident site is in a medical campus with 10 specialized centers. Sachin Pithva of the BBC described chaos scenes, with rescuers who recovered the remains of those who perished.

Thick smoke always escaped buildings a few hours after the accident and passenger passports were scattered, he reported.

The additional Gujarat chief secretary confirmed that the plane struck the inn and the staff of students of the students of Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College and Civil Hospital.

“He crashed out in the disorder of the hostel, then rebounded on one of the buildings of the hostel,” said the dean of the hospital, Dr Meenkashi Parekh, at the BBC.

The accident occurred at lunchtime when many students were in the canteen, she added. The photos show a large part of the plane stuck in one of the buildings of the hostel, and a dusty and deserted mess with plates of food not eaten 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,” said the dean.

She added that it was possible that several students were killed. Those officials said dozens were in hospital.

Tata Group, who owns Air India, said that he would give a curry -ray – the equivalent of around £ 86,000 – to the families of each person who has been killed in the accident.

Prime Minister Modi wrote on X: “The tragedy at Ahmedabad has amazed and attacked us. He is heartbreaking beyond words. In this sad hour, my thoughts are with all those who are touched by this.”

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and British Prime Minister Sir Keir Keir Starmer both said they were updated as the situation is developing, while King Charles expressed “deepest sympathies” to all those affected by the accident.

Starmer confirmed that a British team had been sent to Gujarat to join the investigation when he urged families and friends of any person affected to contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Additional reports by Tiffany Wertheimer