All 242 onboard feared dead in Air India crash near Ahmedabad airport

In one of India's worst aviation disasters, Air India Flight AI-171 — a Boeing 787 Dreamliner en route London — crashed into the residential quarters of doctors at BJ Medical College in Meghaninagar, Ahmedabad, shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12.

The aircraft carried 242 people—230 passengers and 12 crew—including 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian.

Described as “catastrophic wreckage,” the crash destroyed multiple five-storey residential buildings and ignited massive fires that consumed parked vehicles .

Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik, speaking to the media, said, “It appears there are no survivors in the plane crash… some locals would have also died,” adding it's “hard to say if anyone has survived” even with some taken for treatment.

The flight had issued a Mayday call mere seconds after takeoff at around 625 feet altitude, then plummeted into the residential block where approximately 200 residents lived in 94 flats.

The impact set off a fire that engulfed several buildings and vehicles in the vicinity.

Eyewitnesses described the horror as the aircraft struck multi-storey residential buildings, with several occupants injured and vehicles in the premises destroyed by fire.

“There are several five-floor buildings which serve as residential quarters. Many people in those apartments were injured as the buildings also caught fire,” one local resident said.

Local hospitals, including Ahmedabad Civil Hospital and the Institute of Kidney Diseases and Research Centre, received “charred bodies”—many beyond recognition—as medical teams scrambled to assist survivors despite severe burn injuries .

Dr. Pranjal Modi, from the trauma center, confirmed that many patients were so badly burned that identification was impossible.

Following the crash, all flight operations at Ahmedabad airport were suspended, and major rescue efforts have been launched by the DGCA, NDRF, Gujarat Police, Army engineers (around 130 personnel), and local fire services.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu have coordinated with state authorities and visited Ahmedabad to oversee relief efforts.

Amit Shah also assured full Central government support during calls with Gujarat’s CM, Home Minister, and Police Commissioner .

The UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Canada’s High Commission, and Boeing have expressed condolences and committed to assisting in investigations.

Family members from nearby districts like Anand had gathered at the airport to bid farewell to their loved ones, only to find themselves searching for answers and praying for survivors in hospitals.

The incident marks the first-ever crash involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner globally since the model’s commercial launch in 2011. The aircraft, registered as VT-ANB, had been delivered to Air India in January 2014.

Emergency teams, including firefighters, police, and medical responders, remain at the scene. Investigations into the cause of the crash are underway.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA) in Ahmedabad has been shut till further notice.

State officials said the crash took place around nine minutes after the plane got clearance for takeoff. According to officials at the spot, dense smoke posed a challenge to rescue operations, which are still underway.