Update: More than 200 people were killed, according to Indian media. India Today reported that one passenger, named Ramesh Vishwaskumar Bucharvada, survived the Air India plane crash after jumping off the flight.
At least 30 people were killed and dozens injured when an Air India Boeing 787‑8 Dreamliner carrying 242 people crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on Thursday, authorities and airline officials reported.
The jet, bound for London Gatwick, went down in a residential neighborhood near the airport, striking a doctors' hostel connected to B.J. Medical College. "The building on which it has crashed is a doctors' hostel... we have cleared almost 70% to 80% of the area and will clear the rest soon," a senior police officer told reporters.
Rescue teams recovered between 30 and 35 bodies, and operations are ongoing to locate additional victims. "Many people were killed as the plane crashed on top of the dining area of state-run B.J. Medical College hostel," India's CNN‑News18 channel reported, citing hospital sources.
The aircraft carried 217 adults, 11 children and two infants. Nationalities included 169 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese and one Canadian, Air India confirmed on X (formerly Twitter).
The crash marks the first fatal incident involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The aircraft, first flown in 2013 and delivered to Air India in 2014, is widely deployed by global airlines. Aviation tracking service Flightradar24 noted the plane issued a Mayday call after departing runway 23 at 1:39 p.m. local time, before disappearing from radar seconds later.
Eyewitness video shows the aircraft veering over local homes before exploding in flames. Thick black smoke billowed as debris landed across the area, prompting firefighters to rush in and extinguish fires.
A relative of a passenger, Poonam Patel, told ANI news agency, "My sister-in-law was going to London. Within an hour, I got news that the plane had crashed." A hostel resident's mother, Ramila, said her son "jumped from the second floor, so he suffered some injuries."
Boeing said it "was aware of initial reports and was working to gather more information." Boeing shares fell 6.8% in pre-market trading, dropping to $199.13.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X: "The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us... It is heartbreaking beyond words." British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the visuals as "devastating," while Buckingham Palace said King Charles was being kept informed.
Airport operator Adani Group suspended all flights. Its chairman, Gautam Adani, said, "We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragedy of Air India Flight 171... we are working closely with all authorities and extending full support to the families."
This is India's worst aviation disaster since the 2020 Air India Express runway overshoot in Kozhikode, which claimed 21 lives.
