Flight bound for London’s Gatwick | Plane hit doctors’ hostel | At least one survivor | First fatal Boeing 787-8 crash
AHMEDABAD, India, June 12 (Reuters) – In one of the worst aviation disasters in over a decade, more than 290 people were killed Thursday when an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, headed for London’s Gatwick Airport, crashed shortly after takeoff from the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, authorities said.
The aircraft, carrying 242 people, slammed into a doctors’ hostel at a local medical college during lunch hour, killing both passengers and students on the ground. Debris was scattered across the smoldering building, with the plane’s tail lodged atop the structure.
“This includes some students, as the plane crashed on the building where they were staying,” said senior police official Vidhi Chaudhary. “One male passenger survived and has been hospitalized.”
The sole known survivor, Ramesh Viswashkumar, who was seated near an emergency exit in seat 11A, described a loud noise moments after takeoff. “When I got up, there were bodies all around me,” he said from his hospital bed. “I was scared. I ran until someone grabbed me and put me in an ambulance.”
Among the dead was Vijay Rupani, former chief minister of Gujarat. Authorities have requested DNA samples from relatives to assist with identification.
Aircraft Was Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
The crash marks the first fatal accident involving a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which entered commercial service in 2011. Flight data from Flightradar24 showed the aircraft was delivered to Air India in 2014 after its first flight in 2013.
The manifest included 217 adults, 11 children, and 2 infants, with passengers reportedly comprising 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, 7 Portuguese, and 1 Canadian, a source told Reuters.
The plane departed at 1:39 p.m. local time (0809 GMT) and issued a Mayday signal shortly after takeoff before disappearing from radar.
Investigation Launched, Leaders React
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who hails from Gujarat, called the crash “heartbreaking beyond words.” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the scene as “devastating,” while King Charles is being kept informed, according to Buckingham Palace.According to Buckingham Palace, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the scene as “devastating,” while King Charles is being kept informed
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board will lead a team of investigators to assist Indian authorities. Boeing said it is in contact with Air India and gathering more details. The company’s stock dropped 5% following the incident.
GE Aerospace, which manufactures the plane’s engines, is also deploying a technical team to analyze flight data and cockpit voice recordings.
India’s Worst Air Disaster in Years
Ahmedabad Airport suspended flights temporarily but has resumed limited operations. The last fatal crash in India occurred in 2020, when an Air India Express Boeing 737 overshot the runway in Kozhikode, killing 21.
Air India, once state-owned, was acquired by the Tata Group in 2022 and merged with full-service carrier Vistara in 2024.
Courtesy: Reuters
