A Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft from the airline Air India crashed shortly after taking off from the airport in the city of Ahmedabad, in western India with 242 people on board. The aircraft, which was bound for London, crashed shortly after takeoff near a medical college, about three and a half miles from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in the city.
According to The New York Times, the bodies of 204 people have already been recovered.
Some media outlets have reported the possibility of a British survivor from the flight being found.
“Flight AI171, operating between Ahmedabad and London Gatwick, was involved in an incident today, June 12, 2025,” reported CNN en Español, based on a statement released by the airline Air India.
How did the Air India passenger plane accident happen?
The news agency Europa Press reported that of the people on board, 169 are from India, 53 from the United Kingdom, seven from Portugal, and one from Canada.
Indian media have indicated that the plane crashed onto the dining area of a medical college hostel, however, it is unknown whether there were students in the building at the time of the incident.
Through a social media post, the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, expressed that the plane crash has “shocked and saddened” the entire nation. “The tragedy in Ahmedabad has shocked and saddened us. It is heartbreaking, indescribable,” he said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
CNN reported that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Portugal is following up on reports that Portuguese citizens were on board Air India flight AI171.
What is known?
- At the moment, there is no exact number of the victims of the plane crash. 204 bodies have been recovered.
- Air India flight AI171 departed from Ahmedabad International Airport at 1:38 p.m. Indian time (4:08 a.m. Puerto Rico time) bound for London-Gatwick Airport.
- The plane was carrying 242 people on board, 169 Indians, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian.