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Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik has told the Associated Press (AP) that there appear to be no survivors in the Air India plane crash that occurred on Thursday, June 12. He said the aircraft, a 787 Dreamliner, went down in a densely populated residential and office area, and that “some locals would have also died.” Malik said that the exact number of casualties is still being ascertained.
A Hindustan Times report however said the crash had a sole survivor, 40-year-old Vishwash Kumar Ramesh. “Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly,” Vishwash, a British national told HT from the civil hospital in Asarwa, Ahmedabad.
The flight, AI171, was carrying 242 people and had taken off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport en route to London. Within minutes, it crashed near the Meghaninagar area, close to Dharpur.
Eyewitnesses reported a loud boom as the plane plunged from the sky and exploded upon impact. Dramatic visuals shared by bystanders showed the aircraft flying unusually low over rooftops before crashing and erupting into flames. Thick black smoke billowed into the sky as panic gripped the neighbourhood.
Emergency response teams, including fire services, police, and medical personnel, rushed to the scene and began rescue operations amid the smouldering wreckage. Videos from the scene showed rescue workers struggling to reach the crash site due to debris and fire. Additional teams have been mobilised to support the efforts.
Authorities have not yet released an official cause of the crash, and investigations are expected to be initiated by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and other aviation agencies.
Among the 242 people on board, 169 were Indians. The Air India plane was also carrying 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian.