An Air India plane flying from India to London crashed just after take-off on Thursday. At least 241 passengers and crew members were killed. Some people on the ground also died.
The plane was a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. It took off from the city of Ahmedabad in western India. Soon after, it crashed into a residential area, hitting a hospital and a medical student hostel.
Only one person survived. He is a British citizen who was sitting in seat 11A. He later told his family he had no idea how he walked away from the crash.
It is not yet known what caused the crash. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it was “heartbreaking beyond words.”
Officials said the death toll could rise. It is already one of the deadliest plane crashes in India’s history.
The flight, AI171, left at 13:39 local time. It was supposed to land at London’s Gatwick Airport at 18:25 BST.
There were 230 passengers and 12 crew members on board. The passengers included 169 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian.
The local police chief said 204 bodies had been found so far. It is not yet known how many were from the plane and how many were on the ground.
Photos from the crash site show debris everywhere. Parts of the plane were stuck inside buildings.
The survivor, Vishwashkumar Ramesh, was seen limping toward an ambulance with smoke behind him. He told local media from the hospital that 30 seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise, and everything happened very quickly.
His cousin said Mr. Ramesh called his family to say he was “fine,” but he does not know where his brother is. His brother was also on the plane.
This is the first deadly crash involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which first flew in 2011.
Boeing said it is ready to help with the investigation. Investigators from the US and the UK will also travel to India.
The plane sent a mayday call seconds after take-off. Then it lost contact with air traffic control and crashed just outside the airport.
The crash happened at lunchtime near a medical college. Many students were eating in the canteen. The plane hit the hostel mess and then bounced into a hostel building.
The dean of the hospital said most students escaped, but the building caught fire and the smoke was very thick. About 10 to 12 students were trapped. Several may have been killed. Dozens were taken to hospital.
Air India’s owner, Tata Group, said it will give about £86,000 to the family of each person killed in the crash.
Prime Minister Modi wrote on X that the tragedy has stunned and saddened the country. Leaders from Canada and the UK, as well as King Charles, also shared their sympathy.
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