At least 240 people, including those on ground, killed in Air India crash, official says

Friday, 13 June 2025 00:02 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Search and rescue teams respond to the scene of a plane crash in Ahmedabad, India, yesterday (Pic credit: AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

Ahmedabad, India (AP) — An Air India passenger plane bound for London crashed into a medical college in Ahmedabad after takeoff yesterday, killing at least 240 people in one of India’s worst airline disasters in decades, officials said.

Vidhi Chaudhary, a top State Police officer in the northwestern city of Ahmedabad, said medical students who were in a college hostel when the plane hit the building are among the dead.

“Most of the bodies have been charred beyond recognition,” she said.

Indian Home Minister Amit Shah confirmed that a single passenger survived the crash and he met him at the hospital. A doctor said he had examined the survivor, whom he identified as Vishwashkumar Ramesh.

“He was disoriented with multiple injuries all over his body,” Dr. Dhaval Gameti told The Associated Press. “But he seems to be out of danger.”

Black smoke billowed from the site where the plane crashed and burst into flames near the airport in Ahmedabad, a city of more than 5 million and the capital of Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home State.

Firefighters doused the smoking wreckage of the plane, which would have been fully loaded with fuel shortly after takeoff, and adjacent multistory buildings with water. Charred bodies lay on the ground and parts of the fuselage were scattered around the site. Indian Army teams were assisting civil authorities to clear debris and help treat the injured.

A video on social media showed the jet slowly descending as if it were landing. As soon as it disappeared out of view behind rows of houses, a giant fireball filled the sky. The AP was able to verify the video by matching up the flight path of the plane from the runway with the crash site and the nearby residential area.

At the crash site, the tail cone of the aircraft with damaged stabiliser fins still attached to it was lodged near the top of one of the buildings.

In a social media post, Modi called the crash “heartbreaking beyond words” and said “my thoughts are with everyone affected.”

Sambit Patra, a lawmaker from Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, said Gujarat’s former Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was among the dead.

Federation of All India Medical Association Vice President Divyansh Singh said at least five students from the medical college were killed on the ground and 50 others were injured. Singh said some of them were in critical condition and many people are “feared buried in the debris.”

Air India said the flight bound for London Gatwick Airport was carrying 242 passengers and crew, with 169 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian aboard. The Boeing 787-8 crashed into a residential area called Meghani Nagar five minutes after taking off at 1:38 p.m. (08:08 GMT), Directorate Of Civil Aviation Director General Faiz Ahmed Kidwai told AP.

(Source: https://apnews.com/article/india-plane-crash-cad8dad5cd0e92795b03d357404af5f8)

Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event including Valentine ’s Day. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Flower Bouquets, Clothing, Watches, Lingerie, Gift Sets and Jewellery. Also if you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.