Ahmedabad Plane Crash Toll Climbs to 274, Victims Include Passengers and Local Residents✈️👥

Air India Flight AI 171 Crash: 274 Lives Lost in Ahmedabad Tragedy💔

New Delhi: At least 274 people lost their lives in one of India’s worst aviation disasters when a London-bound Air India flight crashed in Ahmedabad earlier this week, according to sources on Saturday.

Who Were the Victims?👥

The death toll includes passengers, crew members on board flight AI 171, and residents on the ground. Of the 242 people on board — 230 passengers, two pilots, and ten crew members — only one person, an Indian-origin British national, survived the crash. Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was also among the victims.

Sources revealed that ten doctors and their family members living in the residential quarters of BJ Medical College in the Meghaninagar area were among the dead. Twenty-four MBBS students injured in the incident are still receiving treatment.

Recovery and Rescue Operations🗂️

The aircraft’s black box has been recovered, and over 100 workers and 40 engineers are working to clear the wreckage, sources said.

How the Crash Happened✈️

Flight AI 171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed just seconds after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at around 1:30 PM on Thursday. The plane lost altitude shortly after departure and slammed into the residential quarters of the medical college, bursting into flames and sending thick black smoke billowing into the sky.

The Pilot's Distress Call🚨

Ahmedabad’s Air Traffic Control confirmed that the pilot had issued a ‘Mayday’ distress signal shortly after takeoff, indicating a severe emergency.

Possible Causes Under Investigation🔍

Aviation experts believe that, based on early visuals, a possible loss of thrust in both engines or a bird strike could have caused the crash. Scenes from the wreckage showed rescuers retrieving bodies and taking burn victims to the nearby civil hospital.

Unanswered Questions❓

Many questions remain about the final moments of the flight — why the plane failed to gain thrust, whether engine or flap malfunctions occurred, and if any safety lapses were involved.

Black Box: Key to the Investigation🗃️

The black box, recovered from the rooftop of the medical college hostel on Friday, is expected to provide crucial data that will help investigators determine whether the crash resulted from technical faults or human error, and to reconstruct the exact sequence of events.

🇮🇳 PM Modi Visits Crash Site

On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the crash site to assess the situation firsthand. He also met with the lone survivor and other injured victims at the hospital.