More than 200 people on an Air India passenger plane died Thursday when the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed just minutes after takeoff.
Officials fear there are even more fatalities given the plane crashed into a residential neighborhood.
“It appears there are no survivors in the plane crash,” Commissioner G.S. Malik told the AP, noting that “some locals would have also died” on the ground.
Flight AI 171 was heading toward London’s Gatwick Airport and crashed in Ahmedabad.
The pilot made a “Mayday” call seconds after takeoff — then shocking videos show the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner descending over the busy city and bursting into a massive fireball, with thick black smoke soon consuming the skyline.
The plane smashed directly into a doctor’s residence, with photos showing the back of the jet sticking out of the building.
Distressing images showed charred bodies around a flattened area of the city.
The 242 people included 217 adults and 11 children, a source told Reuters. Of them, 169 were Indian nationals, 53 were Britons, seven were Portuguese, and one was Canadian, Air India said. (New York Post)
"The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on X. "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."
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UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the crash "devastating."
"The scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating," he said. "I am being kept updated as the situation develops, and my thoughts are with the passengers and their families at this deeply distressing time."
NOW - Air India plane, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed at the airport in India's western city of Ahmedabad. pic.twitter.com/v3zhiBfdlc
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) June 12, 2025
🚨 POLICE: NO SURVIVORS IN AIR INDIA CRASH. AT LEAST 242 PEOPLE KILLED. pic.twitter.com/mFQYfJxCQF
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) June 12, 2025