A devastating Air India flight disaster has claimed over 200 lives in a residential area of Ahmedabad, raising serious questions about Boeing aircraft safety amid the company’s ongoing crisis. The London-bound Boeing 787-8, carrying 242 passengers and crew, including numerous Indian and British nationals, plummeted shortly after takeoff, creating a massive fireball that engulfed both the aircraft and a medical college accommodation.
Catastrophic Crash Claims Hundreds of Lives
The Air India flight AI171 crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad, India, on June 12, transforming what should have been a routine journey to London into a horrific tragedy. Shocking video footage captured the plane’s rapid descent before it slammed into Meghani Nagar, a residential area, causing a massive explosion that devastated the surrounding neighborhood, including a medical college.
BREAKING: Air India says a London-bound flight crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad airport Thursday with 242 passengers and crew onboard. https://t.co/ARGeC5Cbuq
— WAND TV News (@wandtvnews) June 12, 2025
Emergency response teams rushed to the crash site, where they recovered 204 bodies, with the passenger manifest confirming the flight carried 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, 1 Canadian, and 7 Portuguese nationals. Initial reports suggested no survivors, but in a miraculous turn of events, one passenger, Vishwashkumar Ramesh, was found alive amid the wreckage and transported to a local hospital with multiple injuries.
Investigation Focuses on Boeing Aircraft
This catastrophe marks the first crash of a Boeing 787-8 model, adding to the troubled American aircraft manufacturer’s recent safety concerns. The incident follows Boeing’s recent $1.1 billion settlement over previous crashes, raising serious questions about quality control and safety standards at a company once considered the gold standard in American aviation manufacturing.
Reports say at least 133 people have died in the Air India plane crash in western India. https://t.co/7YKn5aoMdC
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) June 12, 2025
Flight data reveals the aircraft took off at 1:38 p.m. local time, with air traffic control losing signal when the plane was at approximately 625 feet altitude. The pilot reportedly made a desperate mayday call before the crash, indicating awareness of a serious problem. However, the exact nature of the emergency remains unknown as investigators begin recovering and analyzing the black box flight recorders.
Government Response and Family Support
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences to the victims’ families and assured that authorities are providing all possible assistance to those affected by this tragedy. India’s aviation minister, Shri Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, confirmed that emergency response teams were mobilized immediately after the crash, with rescue efforts continuing despite challenging conditions.
“We are aware of initial reports and are working to gather more information,” a Boeing spokesperson stated, as the company faces another potential crisis following years of safety scandals.
BREAKING: MAJOR PLANE CRASH ON INDIAN FLIGHT HEADING TO LONDON
An Air India plane with over 242 people on board crashes near Ahmedabad, India. pic.twitter.com/e2dIBHHBR7
— Sulaiman Ahmed (@ShaykhSulaiman) June 12, 2025
The crash site investigation has been complicated by extensive damage to both the aircraft and surrounding buildings, with at least five people killed in the medical college accommodation that was struck. Tata Group, Air India’s parent company, has announced financial support for victims’ families, while Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport has since reopened after temporarily suspending operations following the disaster.
Sources:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/alarming-footage-shows-passenger-plane-153403259.html
https://time.com/7293469/india-london-bound-airplane-crash-boeing-fatalities/
https://apnews.com/live/air-india-plane-crash-ai171-ahmedabad-london