VIDEO: Air India Flight AI171 Plummets After Takeoff from Ahmedabad

A devastating tragedy struck on Thursday, June 12, 2025: Air India Flight AI171, a Boeing 787‑8 Dreamliner carrying 242 people bound for London Gatwick, crashed moments after departing Ahmedabad airport. Echoing across global headlines, the incident has left a profoundly shaken international community.

Local authorities reported the aircraft went down in the Meghani Nagar neighborhood, striking a hostel near the airport just minutes after takeoff. Harrowing footage shows the plane descending rapidly, followed by a horrendous explosion and thick plumes of smoke ─ a scene confirmed by multiple eyewitnesses and media outlets.

Ahmedabad Police Commissioner G.S. Malik stated that all 242 onboard—230 passengers and 12 crew—are presumed dead.

READ ALSO: World Bank Embraces Nuclear Energy After Decades

He confirmed that over 200 bodies have been recovered from the crash site, with many likely fatalities on the ground as debris struck a residential building. The manifest included 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, one Canadian, and seven Portuguese passengers.

Emergency services mobilized swiftly, dispatching multiple fire engines and ambulances to battle flare-ups and rescue survivors. Early reports confirmed at least 50 ground injuries, mainly among medical students housed in the affected structure.

Senior officials—including India’s Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda and Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu—have expressed deep sorrow, stating that recovery and support efforts are ongoing.

Meanwhile, Air India Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran and Boeing have pledged full cooperation with the investigation, acknowledging the plane’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner model is facing its first fatal incident since debuting in 2011.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UK leaders, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer and King Charles III, have extended condolences to the victims’ families and emergency responders. A crisis hotline has been set up to assist concerned families tracking loved ones aboard the flight.

With preliminary findings pointing to a loss of altitude after a distress call at approximately 625 ft, agencies including India’s DGCA, the NTSB, and Boeing are investigating key technical factors—from flap retraction to engine performance. All flight operations at Ahmedabad airport were temporarily suspended in the wake of the crash.