Air India dreamliner crashes near Ahmedabad, 242 feared dead
An Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner (flight AI171) bound for London crashed minutes after takeoff from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday, killing all 242 aboard and causing ground casualties.
The aircraft issued a distress call before plunging into Ghoda Camp residential area near a public hospital around 1:39 PM local time. Eyewitnesses reported a massive explosion, with fireballs visible for kilometers.
Three buildings were severely damaged by the impact that scattered aircraft debris across rooftops.
Social media footage shows the twin-jet descending nose-high before smashing into structures. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called it a “heartbreaking tragedy,” while Britain confirmed 53 nationals were among the victims.
India’s DGCA aviation authority and Boeing investigators are examining the wreckage of the 8-year-old jet (VT-ANH) amid monsoon season operations. The crash shocks India’s booming aviation sector weeks before the Paris Air Show.
This marks Air India’s deadliest accident since the 2010 Mangalore crash and raises new concerns about the Dreamliner, which faced battery fires in 2013 but boasts an otherwise strong safety record. Emergency crews continue recovery operations as families gather at the airport.
