AHMEDABAD – In one of the worst aviation tragedies in recent years, an Air India flight headed to London’s Gatwick Airport crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on Thursday, leaving over 200 dead.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, carrying 242 passengers and crew, crashed into the doctors’ hostel at B.J. Medical College, causing widespread devastation. Eyewitnesses described massive explosions as wreckage engulfed parts of the residential campus.
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Ahmedabad’s police chief confirmed that 204 bodies had been recovered, with rescue operations ongoing. Authorities fear the final death toll could rise, with many victims potentially on the ground when the plane struck.
Police officials said about 70 to 80 percent of the affected area has been cleared, while drone footage showed parts of the aircraft lodged in the building and debris scattered widely.
Preliminary information suggests the crash happened just minutes after departure, with no distress signal from the cockpit. The plane’s manifest listed 217 adults, 11 children, and two infants, including 169 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian.
Authorities are using DNA tests to help identify the victims. Local hospitals have been placed on alert, and counseling is being provided to families of the deceased. Reports confirmed that several medical students lost their lives as the plane’s wreckage tore through the college dining hall.
The aircraft, delivered to Air India in 2014, was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner—marking the model’s first fatal crash since its introduction in 2011.
Investigations into the cause of the disaster are underway, with both Indian and international aviation experts expected to contribute to the probe.
