Air india plane crash at least 265 killed ex gujarat cm rupani 5 mbbs students among dead

Air india plane crash at least 265 killed ex gujarat cm rupani 5 mbbs students among dead

At least 265 people were killed on Thursday when a London-bound Air India flight crashed into a medical college complex in Ahmedabad moments after takeoff, bursting into flames.

This marks one of India's worst air disasters in recent years. Several people on the ground were also killed as the plane smashed into buildings inside the BJ Medical College and Civil Hospital compound.

Several bodies were charred beyond recognition. The ill-fated Boeing 787 Dreamliner (AI 171) was carrying 242 people, including 230 passengers and 12 crew members.

‘265 bodies have reached the city civil hospital as per the message we received,’ said Deputy Commissioner of Police Kanan Desai.

Meanwhile, BJP leader C R Paatil confirmed that former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was among the dead.

Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) said that at least five MBBS students, one PG resident doctor, and the wife of a superspecialist doctor from BJ Medical College were also killed. Over 60 medical students were injured.

‘As of now, at least five medical students, one PG resident doctor and the wife of a superspecialist doctor from the BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad have been killed and over 60 medical students have been injured,’ FAIMA national vice president Dr Divyansh Singh said. ‘Bodies that have been found were totally charred,’ he added.

Air India's fatal plane crash

The plane crashed less than a minute after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:39 pm.

According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), ‘The aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 1339 IST from Runway 23. It gave a MAYDAY Call to ATC, but thereafter no response was given by the aircraft to the calls made by ATC.’

The aircraft, registered as VT-ANB, was commanded by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, who had 8,200 hours of flying experience, along with First Officer Clive Kundar, who had 1,100 flying hours.

According to Air India, among the 230 passengers, 169 were Indians, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian. The other 12 onboard were the crew members.

This is the first crash involving the Boeing Dreamliner, which is known for its advanced features. It is also India's second major air disaster since 2020, when an Air India Express flight crashed in Kozhikode, killing 21 people.

Meanwhile, the search for the plane's black box, the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, is ongoing to determine the exact cause of the crash.

Rescue teams were still searching for survivors as of late Thursday night. Unofficial reports said up to 25 people from the medical complex might also have died.

The lone survivor

One passenger, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, miraculously survived the crash. He was seated in 11A and was later seen walking around the wreckage in TV footage. ‘Ramesh was admitted to the trauma ward of the Ahmedabad civil hospital,’ Dr Shriq M told PTI. He was traveling to London with his brother.

Union minister Amit Shah told reporters, ‘The good news is that one person survived the crash and I am coming here after meeting him. There was 1.25 lakh litres of fuel inside the plane and it caught heat so it was impossible to save anyone.’ ‘The number of those killed will be officially released by the authorities after DNA test and identification of the victims,’ he added.

The wreckage led to widespread devastation in the area. Several multi-storey buildings were damaged, trees burnt, and cars destroyed. One image showed the nose of the aircraft piercing through the top floor of a dining area where many medical students were having lunch.

Airport operations in Ahmedabad were temporarily suspended and later resumed in the evening.