From Kenneth Udeh
Tragedy struck Thursday afternoon when an Air India flight bound for London crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, slamming into a medical college hostel and killing more than 200 people, including intern doctors and passengers aboard the aircraft.
Flight AI 171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members, lost contact with air traffic control moments after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at approximately 1:10 p.m. local time.
According to airport officials and the airline, the aircraft plunged directly into the BJ Medical College undergraduate hostel mess in the densely populated Meghani Nagar neighbourhood, igniting a devastating fire and collapsing a portion of the building.
The flight manifest included 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, 7 Portuguese citizens, and 1 Canadian.
While the exact death toll has not been confirmed, officials fear that all on board have perished. Additionally, 50 to 60 intern doctors who were in the hostel at the time are also feared dead. The adjacent block, housing resident doctors, was also damaged in the crash.
Photographs and videos verified by authorities and posted to social media showed smouldering debris, twisted wreckage, and the aircraft’s tail embedded in a building wall. Plumes of black smoke billowed from the scene as emergency services scrambled to contain the blaze and search for survivors.
India’s Health Minister, in a brief statement, confirmed “many people” were killed and described the scene as “catastrophic.” Hospitals across Ahmedabad have been placed on high alert, with ambulances ferrying the injured as emergency teams work around the clock.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep sorrow on X, calling the incident “heartbreaking beyond words” and extending condolences to the families affected.
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said he was “shocked and devastated” and confirmed that rescue operations were being personally monitored. “All aviation and emergency response agencies have been mobilised for a coordinated response,” he stated.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was being kept closely informed, and Buckingham Palace confirmed that King Charles III had also been briefed. The UK Foreign Office said it was working with Indian authorities to assist the families of British nationals aboard the flight.
Boeing, the manufacturer of the downed aircraft, said in a statement, “We are aware of initial reports and are working to gather more information.” Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 revealed that the last signal from the aircraft was received just seconds after takeoff.
The crash has prompted urgent questions about aviation safety, though India maintains some of the world’s strictest standards following decades of improving its civil aviation infrastructure. This marks one of the country’s deadliest aviation disasters in recent memory.
Air India, now operated by the Tata Group, activated an emergency response centre for relatives. Tata Group Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran said, “Our primary focus is on supporting all the affected people and their families. This is a moment of profound grief.”
The incident has also had global financial implications. Boeing shares dropped over 8% in pre-market trading following the news.
As the full scale of the tragedy continues to unfold, rescue workers remain at the crash site, combing through wreckage in the hope of finding survivors, though authorities have warned that hopes are fading.