Air India crash: Hundreds dead after Boeing 787 comes down

Indian police said at least 240 people were killed when Air India Flight 171 crashed into a building shortly after takeoff in Ahmedabad.

Just one passenger aboard the flight was confirmed to have survived and was taken to hospital.

Authorities are still working to verify the number of dead, including those who were in the building when the plane crashed.

"Most of the bodies have been charred beyond recognition," Chaudhary said.

Meanwhile, Air India also confirmed that 241 people died out of a total of 242 people on board the flight.

"A team of caregivers from Air India is now in Ahmedabad to provide additional support," the airline added. "Air India is giving its full cooperation to the authorities investigating this incident."

Hundreds of people have been killed after an Air India Flight 171 crashed just seconds after take-off from Ahmedabad airport. The Boeing 787 was flying to London.

An aviation experts tells DW that investigators will be looking at a potential bird strike, mechanical failure or possible pilot error.

India's Interior Minister Amit Shah said there was "no chance" of finding any more surviving passengers from the Air India flight that crashed just minutes after taking off from the western city of Ahmedabad.

He spoke after visiting the crash site.

India's civil aviation authority reported that there were 242 people on board, including two pilots and 10 cabin crew members.

Shah said the retrieval of bodies was almost complete and that DNA samples were being collected from the victims and their families to help identify the deceased.

He also visited the sole survivor of the crash, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, in the hospital, referring to his survival as "good news".

"He was disoriented with multiple injuries all over his body," Dr Dhaval Gameti, who treated Ramesh, told the Associated Press. "But he seems to be out of danger."

Ramesh described the aftermath to the Hindustan Times (see earlier entry), saying he found himself next to debris and bodies and walked to a nearby ambulance that brought him to the hospital

"When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran," he told the newspaper.

Among those who died in the Air India crash in Ahmedabad, in Gujarat, was the state's former Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.

He served in office from August 2016 to September 2021.

Rupani was also a senior leader of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party.

India's President Droupadi Murmu paid homage to Rupani, saying he "was always committed to people's welfare."

"I express my heartfelt condolences to his family and admirers," she wrote on social media.

US President Donald Trump has offered assistance to India following the Air India crash.

"I let them know that anything we can do, we'll be over there immediately. But it was a horrific crash," Trump told reporters during an event at the White House.

Speaking about the possible causes of the crash, he said, "nobody has any idea what it might be."

"It looks like it was flying pretty well; it didn't look like there was an explosion. It just looks like the engines maybe lost power," he added.

Pakistan's prime minister expresses condolences over Air India plane crash despite ongoing tensions with its neighbor. 

In a post on social media, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he was "saddened" by the crash and extended condolences to the families of the victims "grieving this immense loss."

"Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this heartbreaking tragedy," he wrote.

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar echoed the prime minister's sentiments, adding: "Our sympathies are with the families of the victims in this hour of grief."

Tensions between India and Pakistan have remained high following the April 22 attack near the mountain town of Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir, which left 26 people dead. 

It peaked last month when India and Pakistan fired missiles at each other in a series of deadly strikes.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz offered condolences after the deadly plane crash in India.

In a social media post in English, the German leader described the pictures of the crash as "terrible."

"We mourn with the families of the victims and extend our sympathies to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and our Indian friends," he wrote.

At least one passenger survived the Air India crash, according to Ahmedabad police.

The Hindustan Times spoke to 40-year-old Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who is currently recovering in hospital. Police confirmed that Ramesh was seated in 11A on the London-bound flight. The newspaper also published a photo of his boarding pass bearing his name.

"It all happened so quickly," Ramesh told the paper from his hospital bed. "When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran. There were pieces of the plane everywhere. Someone grabbed me, put me in an ambulance, and brought me to the hospital."

Ramesh, a British national, had been in India for a few days visiting family and was returning to the UK.

Senior police officer Vidhi Chaudhary also confirmed to the Reuters news agency that police had located passenger 11A in hospital.

Authorities are continuing to search for additional survivors who may have been taken to hospitals in the area.

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner which crashed in Ahmedabad is one the world's most advanced aircraft.

Unlike Boeing's 737 Max series, the Dreamliner has had a strong safety record, with no fatal accidents until Thursday's crash, in which all 242 people on board died.

The plane that crashed in Ahmedabad is the smallest of three types of 787, and was delivered in 2014.

The 787 Dreamliner entered commercial service in 2011. Boeing has sold more than 2,500 787s, of which 47 were sold to Air India.

The plane can normally hold up to 248 passengers, while the larger 787-9 can carry up to 296 people, according to Boeing.

"We are in contact with Air India regarding Flight 171 and stand ready to support them," Boeing said in a post on X.

The 787 is powered by twin engines, which are supplied by American firm GE Aerospace or Rolls-Royce from the UK.

The engines on the plane that crashed were provided by GE. In a post on X, GE said it was "deeply saddened" by the incident, adding that the company is "prepared to support our customer and the investigation."

While this is the first fatal incident involving a Dreamliner, there have been previous accidents. 

In July 2013, an Ethiopian Airlines flight — which had no one on board — caught fire while on the ground at London's Heathrow airport after a short-circuit.

That same year, the global 787 fleet was temporarily grounded after lithium batteries overheated on two Japan Airlines planes in Tokyo and Boston. That incident led to design changes.

Last year, at least 50 people were injured when a LATAM Airlines 787 suddenly dropped in midair on a flight from Sydney to Auckland. 

Investigations into that incident found that it was caused by an involuntary movement with the pilot's seat.

Air India's CEO Campbell Wilson has issued a video statement following the deadly crash in Ahmedabad.

"This is a difficult day for all of us at Air India, and our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, their families and loved ones," Wilson said.

He said a team of "caregivers" from Air India was headed to the city in western India to provide additional support to authorities and emergency responders.

A special team of caregivers from Air India is on their way to Ahmedabad to provide additional support.

"Investigations will take time, but anything we can do now we are doing," Wilson said.

He added that the company will continue to provide information about the crash. 

"But anything we report must be accurate and not speculative. We owe that to everyone involved," Wilson said.

He said Air India teams were working "around the clock" to support passengers, crew and their families, as well as investigators. 

The Tata Group, the majority owner of Air India, has said it will compensate the families of those who died in the Air India crash on Thursday.

The group will also provide support to rebuild the medical college hostel in Ahmedabad that was destroyed when the aircraft crashed into it.

"We are deeply anguished by the tragic event involving Air India Flight 171," the company's chairman N Chandrasekaran said in a statement on X.
 
"No words can adequately express the grief we feel at this moment," the statement added.

Tata Group will provide 10 million rupees ($116,800; €100,852) to the families of each of the people who died in the incident.

They will also cover the medical expenses of the injured, as well as provide support for the B J Medical college's hostel to be rebuilt.

"We remain steadfast in standing with the affected families and communities during this unimaginable time," N Chandrasekaran concluded.

Portugal's Prime Minister Luis Montenegro has expressed his condolences and "deep solidarity" with the relatives of the victims of the Air India crash.

The London-bound plane, which was carrying 242 people including seven Portuguese citizens, crashed shortly after taking off from the western Indian city of Ahmedabad.

"It was with deep dismay that I learned of the tragic plane crash in India, in which seven citizens with Portuguese nationality were travelling," Montenegro said on X.

"On behalf of myself and the Government, I would like to express my condolences and deep solidarity with the families of the victims," the prime minister added.

Ahmedabad police have said that 204 dead bodies have been recovered so far from the site of a passenger plane that was carrying 242 people which crashed into a populated area shortly after takeoff.

Commissioner GS Malik told reporters that police had found "204 bodies" and that 41 people "were under treatment."

The fatalities include those who were on the plane and those who were in the building the aircraft crashed into.

"The building on which it has crashed is a doctors' hostel ... we have cleared almost 70% to 80% of the area and will clear the rest soon," according to a senior police officer.

Indian television reported that medical students had been killed, as the aircraft had crashed into the dining area of the state-run B.J. Medical College hostel.

The crash occurred minutes after takeoff at 1:39 p.m local time, so the dining area was likely full of people during their lunch hour.

"Rescue work is ongoing," Malik said.

American aircraft manufacturer Boeing has said its teams are in contact with Air India, whose Flight 171 crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad.

"We are in contact with Air India regarding Flight 171 and stand ready to support them," Boeing said in a post on X. 

"Our thoughts are with the passengers, crew, first responders and all affected," the statement added.
 

Boeing's image has been severely dented in recent years after a different aircraft, the 737 Max, was involved in two major crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia in 2018 and 2019.

Thursday's crash is the first fatal incident involving its 787 Dreamliner, which was first used in a commercial flight in 2011.