MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Over 200 people killed in Air India crash after takeoff

Air India's Boeing 787 reached 625 feet after takeoff before collapsing, killing additional victims on the ground

An Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, flight AI171, carrying 242 passengers (169 Indian, 53 British, 7 Portuguese, 1 Canadian) and 12 crew members, crashed into a residential area near Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Airport in Ahmedabad, India, minutes after takeoff Thursday, en route to London Gatwick.

After reaching an altitude of 625 feet, the aircraft struck a medical college hostel, killing at least 204 people, including passengers, crew, and locals, with 25 others injured on the ground. The plane was carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson corroborated.

One survivor, 40-year-old British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, was rescued after reportedly jumping from the plane before impact. The passenger in seat 11A “has been found in the hospital and is under treatment,” Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik told reporters. “Some locals would have also died,” he further explained.

The crash, the worst aviation disaster in a decade, caused significant damage, with the plane’s tail lodged in a building. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu and Home Minister Amit Shah to personally oversee relief operations.

The cause of the crash remains unconfirmed. Air India’s parent company, Tata Group, has pledged to cover medical expenses, support the affected medical college, and provide approximately US$ 117,000 to families of the deceased.

Police have also released a list of 25 individuals who were injured on the ground at the crash site. Local media, citing the Indian Medical Association, reported that three medical students perished while others have been hospitalized.

Federation of All India Medical Association Vice President Dr. Divyaansh Singh posted on X post that there were 10 to 20 casualties from its student body and resident doctors.