An Air India AI-171 aircraft crashed in Gujarat, near Ahmedabad airport. The plane was en route to London with 242 people on board, including two pilots and 10 crew members. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner had taken off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad. The crash occurred in the Meghani area of Gujarat.
As the accident happened close to the airport, emergency responders were quick to act. About 12 fire engines were deployed to the site. The surrounding area is forested. Officials say the death toll could be in triple digits. Gujarat’s current Chief Minister, Bhupendra Patel, rushed to the scene from Surat.
According to an IANS report, Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to the Chief Minister in an emergency meeting. The central government has assured all possible assistance. Air India shared further updates on X (formerly Twitter). The aircraft was under the command of Capt. Sumeet Sabharwal, with First Officer Clive Kundar.
The aircraft departed at 1:39 PM from Ahmedabad airport using runway 23 and crashed just a few minutes later at 1:43 PM, within the same airport perimeter. The pilots attempted to contact ATC and issued a single ‘Mayday’ call, with no further response. The former Gujarat CM was also on board. Rammohan Naidu, the Minister of Civil Aviation, hurried to Ahmedabad from Vijayawada.
A video has surfaced showing the plane losing altitude and, at 625 meters, crashing into a building in Meghaninagar before exploding.
The airport will be closed at 5 PM this evening. A team of 90 NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) members has been dispatched to the airport. On board the flight were 53 British citizens, 7 Portuguese citizens, and one Canadian. The total included 217 adults, 169 Indian nationals, 11 children, and two infants.
