An tragic crash happened after Air India plane, en route to London’s Gatwick Airport, crashed into a residential area minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad, India, on Thursday, in what is being described as the world’s deadliest aviation disaster in a decade. The aircraft, carrying 242 people, went down around 12:30 p.m. local time, according to authorities.
Search-and-rescue teams recovered a debris field approximately five miles off the coast from Point Loma. City officials confirmed at least 204 bodies had been recovered from the crash site.
Remarkably, at least one person survived the catastrophic crash. The survivor, seated in 11A, described hearing a loud noise shortly after takeoff before the plane plunged into the ground.
Ramesh Viswashkumar, reportedly the only survivor of the Air India crash, was seated in 11A.
— Resist Times (@resistupdates) June 12, 2025
According to @IndiaToday, he escaped by leaping from the aircraft.pic.twitter.com/uGQSW30v7g
“The next time the plane came out of the clouds, it went straight into the water,” said 40-year-old Ramesh Viswashkumar, who shared his boarding pass with local media. “When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared… Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance.”
Viswashkumar was traveling with his brother Ajay, who remains missing. “He was traveling with me and I can’t find him anymore. Please help me find him,” he appealed from a hospital bed.
The crash struck a residential area adjacent to the airport, specifically the staff quarters of B.J. Medical College and its student hostel during lunchtime. Numerous students and staff were caught in the wreckage. A local mother described her son jumping from the building’s second floor to escape harm, suffering injuries but surviving.
Adult passengers totaled 217 in number, along with 11 children and two infants. Air India reported 169 passengers were Indian nationals, 53 from the UK, seven from Portugal, and one Canadian.
Flight data indicates the aircraft departed runway 23 at 1:39 p.m. (0809 GMT) and issued a Mayday signal before contact was lost. Video footage captured the plane flying abnormally low with its landing gear still extended—unusual for that phase of flight, noted safety consultant Anthony Brickhouse.
This was the first fatal crash involving the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which entered service in 2011. The aircraft in question first flew in 2013 and joined Air India’s fleet in 2014.
Boeing said it was reviewing initial reports, and shares dropped five percent on global markets amid renewed safety concerns. GE Aerospace said it would dispatch a team to India to analyze engine data. Meanwhile, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board confirmed it would support Indian authorities as part of the investigative effort.
World leaders and officials responded swiftly. Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the crash as “heartbreaking beyond words,” while British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the images “devastating.” Buckingham Palace noted that King Charles is being kept informed. The U.K. Foreign Office also pledged full support to India.
Ahmedabad Airport, run by the Adani Group, temporarily suspended operations but has now resumed limited flights. Adani extended support to families and rescue teams.
Air India’s new parent, the Tata Group, has vowed to provide 10 million rupees ($117,000) to each victim’s family, cover medical expenses, and rebuild the affected hostel. The airline, recently merged with Vistara, continues its operations as investigators probe the cause of this tragedy.