A tragic plane crash in Ahmedabad has killed over 240 people after an Air India flight crashed into a medical college hostel shortly after takeoff. Only one person survived, making it the worst air disaster in the world in the past ten years.

Rescue Operations Continue After Massive Plane Crash in Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad, India – June 13

A terrible plane crash in Ahmedabad has killed more than 240 people, making it the deadliest air disaster in the last 10 years. 

The Air India flight, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, was on its way to Gatwick Airport near London when it crashed into a medical college hostel shortly after takeoff on Thursday afternoon.

There were 242 people on board the plane, and only one person survived who is a British national who is now being treated in the hospital. 

The crash also killed people on the ground. Local news reports say as many as 24 people may have died in the hostel, though that number hasn’t been confirmed yet. Authorities are still searching for missing people in the area.

Rescue teams worked through the night and into the next day, looking for any remaining passengers, aircraft parts, and clues to understand what caused the crash. 

Parts of the plane were scattered around the burnt hostel building, and the plane’s tail was seen stuck on top of it.

One of the black boxes, which help investigators understand what happened during a flight, has been found, according to a local newspaper. 

However, it’s not clear yet if it’s the flight data recorder or the cockpit voice recorder.

People living nearby said the crash sounded like a huge explosion, followed by thick smoke covering the area. A man named Nitin Joshi, 63, who has lived in the area for over 50 years, described the terrifying scene. 

CCTV footage showed the plane flying over houses and then suddenly disappearing, followed by a massive fireball.

The hostel that was hit had only recently been built and wasn’t fully occupied yet.

According to police officer Vidhi Chaudhary, the initial death toll of 294 was revised down to over 240, as some body parts had been mistakenly counted twice. 

Among the dead was Vijay Rupani, the former Chief Minister of Gujarat, the state where Ahmedabad is located.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is from Gujarat, visited the crash site. Air India’s CEO Campbell Wilson also arrived early Friday to oversee the situation. 

Boeing, the aircraft’s manufacturer, has said it will send a team of experts to help investigate.This is the first crash involving a Dreamliner aircraft, which began commercial service in 2011. The crashed plane had been flying since 2013 and was delivered to Air India in early 2014.

Before this, the last fatal crash in India happened in 2020 and involved Air India Express, a budget airline. 

Air India itself was taken over by the Tata Group in 2022 and merged with Vistara in 2024.