AHMEDABAD – On Thursday morning, authorities confirmed that there appeared to be no survivors from the Air India Dreamliner that crashed shortly after takeoff in Ahmedabad, killing all 242 people on board and causing further devastation on the ground.
Ahmedabad Police Commissioner G.S. Malik, speaking to The Associated Press, said initial findings suggested total fatalities among passengers and crew. “It appears there are no survivors in the plane crash,” he said, adding that “some locals would have also died” when the aircraft went down in a densely populated area near the Forensic Cross Road, not far from commercial and residential blocks.
“Exact figures on casualties are being ascertained,” Malik added, as search and recovery teams continued their painstaking efforts amid mangled debris and scorched wreckage.
Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 operated by Air India, was en route from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick when it lost contact minutes after takeoff around 2:00 p.m. local time on Wednesday.
The airline said in a statement that among those aboard were 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, 7 Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian citizen. It did not release the nationalities of the 12 crew members. “The injured are being taken to the nearest hospitals,” the airline noted, without detailing how many individuals were hurt on the ground.
The crash site – a convergence of homes, offices, and narrow roads – quickly filled with first responders, grief-stricken family members, and stunned residents. By nightfall, hospitals across Ahmedabad had activated emergency protocols, and local morgues began preparations for what one official described as “a long and difficult process of identification.”
The disaster has prompted an outpouring of condolences from Indian and international leaders.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed sorrow over the catastrophe in a post on X: “The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. It is heartbreaking beyond words. In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it.”
Air India, once India’s flagship state-owned airline, is now under the ownership of Tata Group, which reacquired the struggling carrier in 2022. Tata Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran said an emergency response centre had been activated to assist families of victims.
“Our primary focus is on supporting all the affected people and their families,” he said in a statement on X. -MalayaDailyToday
