Ahmedabad Air India Plane Crash News Live Updates: A devastating crash occurred when Air India Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner (VT-ANB), plummeted to the ground minutes after departing from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12.
The flight, destined for London Gatwick Airport (LGW), carried 230 passengers and 12 crew members. The tragic incident occurred around 1.39 pm local time (08.09 GMT).
Air India confirmed that 241 on board the doomed flight had died. The plane crashed into a medical college hostel’s mess area, resulting in additional fatalities on the ground. A total of 265 bodies, including medical students, were taken to the city’s civil hospital till late Thursday night, a police official told news agency PTI.
Among the confirmed fatalities from the aircraft was Vijay Rupani, the former chief minister of Gujarat (2016-2021), who was reportedly en route to London to meet his family. However, amidst the tragedy, a miracle emerged: Ramesh Viswashkumar, approximately 40 years old, was confirmed as the sole survivor.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Ahmedabad on Friday morning, pledging full government support for the victims’ families, calling for a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash. He also met the lone survivor, Indian-origin British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who was returning to the UK with his brother Ajay Kumar Rakesh, in the hospital.