Air India plane crash: Flight AI 171 to London crashes in Ahmedabad, one survivor
The sole survivor of the Air India plane crash, which killed more than 290 people, is begging for his brother who was sitting across the aisle from him. Watch the video.
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A British passenger has miraculously survived the deadly Air India plane crash that killed more than 290 people, according to local officials and video of him walking away relatively unscathed.
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who was in seat 11A when the Boeing 787-8 crashed into a residential neighbourhood on Thursday local time, is recovering in the hospital, Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik told ANI news.
He was found limping in the street amid the carnage after the passenger plane went down just moments after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport, the Hindustan Times said.
“When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran. There were pieces of the plane all around me,” the 40-year-old said from a hospital bed.
“Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital.”
Vishwash recalled the horrifying moment the plane began rapidly descending and hitting a student hostel in a residential part of the city of five million in northwest India.
“Thirty seconds after takeoff, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly.”
He had been on a business trip with his brother Ajaykumar Ramesh, 35, before they both boarded the flight.
Ajayjumar was sitting across the aisle from Vishwash in seat 11J.
Vishwash has been begging for his brother from his hospital bed: “Find Ajay, you must find Ajay”.
What we know about the crash:
- The Boeing 787-8 jet heading for London’s Gatwick Airport left Ahmedabad with 242 people on board, including two pilots and 10 cabin crew.
- Air India’s flight 171 issued a mayday call and crashed “immediately after takeoff”, around 1.40pm (6.10pm AEST thursday )
- Air India said the passengers included 169 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals and a Canadian.
- The plane smashed into a building housing doctors and their families in a residential area reportedly killing more than 50 people.
- Police said 265 bodies had been taken to hospital in the main city of India’s western state of Gujarat.
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HOW SAFE IS THE BOEING 787 DREAMLINER?
Australians shouldn’t be alarmed about flying on Boeing 787 Dreamliners, aviation experts say, despite the aircraft’s chequered safety history and renewed scrutiny following the fatal Air India crash.
The ill-fated AI171 service, bound for London Gatwick, is the first fatal crash involving the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, a long-haul jet in commercial service since 2011 and widely used across the globe — including in Australia and the Pacific.
Read the full story here.
FAMILIES GIVE DNA TO HELP ID RELATIVES
In an echoing hall in India’s Ahmedabad, mourning families gave DNA samples on Friday to identify relatives missing after a London-bound passenger jet crashed in a residential area.
Ashfaque Nanabawa, 40, said he had come to find his cousin Akeel Nanabawa, who had been onboard with his wife and three-year-old daughter.
He said they had spoken as his cousin sat in the plane just before takeoff. “He called us and he said: ‘I am in the plane and I have boarded safely and everything was okay’. That was his last call.” Nanabawa, speaking in the early hours of Friday morning, said he and his family had given DNA samples, but were yet to “identify any of the bodies”.
On a raised platform, a dozen exhausted doctors worked to collect samples for the grim task of trying to identify bodies.
“We have taken samples of babies and those above 80 years old. I don’t have words to explain this,” said a doctor, on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.
BOEING INVESTIGATING
India’s Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said a formal investigation had been started and US plane maker Boeing said it was “working to gather more information” on the incident to help Air India.
The British and US accident investigation agencies said they had sent teams to support the Indian inquiry.
A source close to the case said this was the first time a 787 Dreamliner had crashed.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is the pride of the US company’s catalogue for long-distance planes: a fuel-efficient, wide-body, lightweight aircraft able to transport up to 330 people.
PLANE CRASHED INTO BUILDING WITH MEDICAL STAFF
Videos posted on social media, which AFP was not able to immediately verify, showed the jet losing altitude - with its nose up - before it hit a medical staff hostel and exploded into a ball of fire.
The plane smashed into a building housing doctors and their families in a crowded residential area of Ahmedabad, a city home to about eight million people.
At the site of the crash between a hospital and the Ghoda Camp neighbourhood, an AFP journalist saw people recovering bodies and firefighters spraying water on the smouldering wreckage.
A resident, who declined to be named, said: “We saw people from the building jumping from the second and third floor to save themselves. The plane was in flames.”
“When we reached the spot there were several bodies lying around and firefighters were dousing the flames,” another resident, Poonam Patni, told AFP, adding that many of the bodies were burned.
A doctor named Krishna said that “the nose and front wheel landed on the canteen building where students were having lunch.” He said he saw “about 15 to 20 burned bodies”, while he and his colleagues rescued around 15 students.
SOLE SURVIVOR SAT IN SEAT 11A
Indian Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik confirmed that one survivor was found alive in the horrific crash.
“The police found one survivor in seat 11A,” reports by news outlet ANI said.
“One survivor has been found in the hospital and is under treatment.
Ahmadabad airport closed with all flights suspended until further notice.
Air India chairman, Natarajan Chandrasekaran, said an emergency centre had been activated and a support team set up for families seeking information.
Tata Group, owners of Air India, offered financial aid of 10 million rupees to the families of each victim and promised to cover the medical expenses of the injured.
‘NOTHING IS WORKING’: VIDEO SHOWS POWER FAILURE INSIDE PLANE
A passenger who reportedly flew on the doomed Air India jet just two hours before it crashed, killing more than 200 passengers and crew, posted shocking video in which he says “nothing” was working in the cabin — including lights, airconditioning and the seat-back display screens. The eerie footage was purportedly taken inside the Boeing 787 Dreamliner on its second-to-last flight as it flew from Delhi to Ahmedabad, hours before it crashed shortly after takeoff en route to London’s Gatwick Airport.
I was in the same damn flight 2 hours before it took off from AMD. I came in this from DEL-AMD. Noticed unusual things in the place.Made a video to tweet to @airindia i would want to give more details. Please contact me. @flyingbeast320@aajtak@ndtv@Boeing_In#planecrash#AI171pic.twitter.com/TymtFSFqJo
— Akash Vatsa  (@akku92) June 12, 2025
“I was in the same damn flight two hours before it took off from Ahmedabad,” social media user Akash Vatsa wrote on X.
“I came in this from Delhi to Ahmedabad. Noticed unusual things in the place,” he went on, adding that he had filmed the apparently malfunctioning aircraft so that he could share the footage with Air India later.
“The AC is not working at all. And, as usual, your TV screens are also not working, neither is this button for calling the cabin crew,” Vatsa can be heard saying in the video.
He also complained of “sweating like hell” due to a lack of AC, adding that this was why “Air India is considered one of the worst airlines in the world.”
INDIA INCIDENT IS BOEING 787 DREAMLINER’S FIRST CRASH
The Air India crash was the first ever for a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, according to reports
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner that crashed in India is the pride of the US company’s catalogue for long-distance planes: a fuel-efficient, wide-body aircraft able to transport up to 330 people.
After first entering service in October 2011, with Japan’s All Nippon Airways, 2,598 of the planes have been ordered by more than 80 airlines around the world, with 889 still awaiting delivery.
Its appeal is its lightweight structure, half of which is made from composite materials, allowing it to burn up to 20 per cent less fuel over long distances than older, equivalent-sized passenger planes.
There are currently three versions of the 787: the 787-8, which can carry up to 248 passengers over distances up to 13,530 kilometres; the 787-9, carrying up to 296 passengers up to 14,010 kilometres; and the 787-10, with up to 330 passengers, up to 11,910 kilometres.
The one that went down in Ahmedabad, India on Thursday was the 787-8 version.
INDIA’S PM ‘STUNNED AND HORRIFIED’
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the tragedy had “stunned and saddened us”.
It is heartbreaking beyond words,” he wrote on X.
“In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it. Have been in touch with Ministers and authorities who are working to assist those affected.”
Air India confirmed one of its planes had been involved in an incident.
“Flight AI171, operating Ahmedabad-London Gatwick, was involved in an incident today, 12 June 2025,” an Air India spokesman said.
“At this moment, we are ascertaining the details and will share further updates at the earliest.”
‘ABSOLUTELY DEVASTATING’: ANTHONY ALBANESE
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also offered his support following the incident.
“The news of a passenger plane crash in Ahmedabad is absolutely devastating,” he posted on X.
“In this time of tragedy, Australia’s thoughts are with everyone affected.
“Our government is receiving regular updates and we will continue to monitor the situation closely.”
Flight AI171 is listed as a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which can hold more than 200 passengers.
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. Have been in touch with Ministers and authorities who are working to assist those affected.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 12, 2025
‘SHOCKED AND DEVASTATED’: INDIA’S AVIATION MINISTER
India’s aviation minister said he was “shocked and devastated” at the incident and said his “thoughts and prayers are with all those on board and their families”.
“I am personally monitoring the situation and have directed all aviation and emergency response agencies to take swift and co-ordinated action,” Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said in a statement.
“Rescue teams have been mobilised, and all efforts are being made to ensure medical aid and relief support are being rushed to the site,” he added.
“My thoughts and prayers are with all those on board and their families.”
Flight AI171, operating Ahmedabad-London Gatwick, was involved in an incident today, 12 June 2025. At this moment, we are ascertaining the details and will share further updates at the earliest on https://t.co/Fnw0ywg2Zt and on our X handle (https://t.co/Id1XFe9SfL).
— Air India (@airindia) June 12, 2025
-Air India…
‘DEEPLY DISTRESSING’: UK PM REACTS
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the incident in Ahmedabad as devastating.
“The scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating,” he said on X.
“I am being kept updated as the situation develops, and my thoughts are with the passengers and their families at this deeply distressing time.”
The scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) June 12, 2025
I am being kept updated as the situation develops, and my thoughts are with the passengers and their families at this deeply distressing time.
UK foreign secretary David Lammy said he was “deeply saddened” by news of the devastating plane crash.
“My thoughts are with all those affected. The UK is working with local authorities in India to urgently establish the facts and provide support,” he said.
KING CHARLES RECEIVING UPDATES
Buckingham Palace confirmed that King Charles III is being kept updated on any developments following the horrific crash.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla said they were “desperately shocked by the terrible events in Ahmedabad.
“Our special prayers and deepest possible sympathy are with the families and friends of all those affected by this appallingly tragic incident across so many nations, as they await news of their loved ones,” they said.
“I would like to pay a particular tribute to the heroic efforts of the emergency services and all those providing help and support at this most heartbreaking and traumatic time.”
A spokesman from London’s Gatwick Airport confirmed the plane was set to land on Thursday evening local time (about 2.25am AEDT).
“We can confirm that flight AI171 that crashed on departure from Ahmedabad Airport today was due to land at London Gatwick at 18:25,” they wrote on X.
AUSTRALIA SENDS CONDOLENCES
A spokesman from Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement: “The Australian Government expresses its condolences to those affected by the Air India crash in Ahmedabad”.
“The Australian High Commission in New Delhi and the Consulate-General in Mumbai are urgently following up with the local authorities to determine whether there were any Australians on board,” they said.
The plane’s history shows it regularly flies between India and destinations including Paris, Frankfurt, Tokyo, Amsterdam, and Melbourne.
Ahmedabad airport, formally known as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, is considered one of the country’s major airports and a gateway for the Gujarat region.
It is the busiest airport in Gujarat and the seventh busiest airport in India, handling more than 13 million passengers annually.
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Originally published as Air India plane crash: Flight AI 171 to London crashes in Ahmedabad, one survivor
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