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Here’s where things stand on Thursday 12 June 2025:
- An Air India passenger plane bound for London crashed into a medical college in the northwestern city of Ahmedabad after takeoff, killing more than 240 people in one of India’s worst airline disasters in decades, officials said, with one survivor among the passengers.
- Air India confirmed that 241 of the 242 people on Air India Flight 171 died.
- Vidhi Chaudhary, a top state police officer in Ahmedabad, said medical students who were in the college’s hostel when the Boeing 787 plane hit the building have also been killed.
- At Ahmedabad’s Civil Hospital, Dr Dhaval Gameti said he had examined the lone survivor of the crash brought in, whom he identified as Vishwash Kumar Ramesh. “He was disoriented with multiple injuries all over his body,” Gameti told The Associated Press. “But he seems to be out of danger.”
- The flight crashed shortly after takeoff from the Indian city. The airline said in a statement that the carried 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, one Canadian and seven Portuguese.
- Authorities in London confirmed that the plane was due to land at the city’s Gatwick airport at 6:25pm local time (17:25GMT).
Here’s what happened today
We will be closing this live page soon. Here is a recap of today’s main events:
- An Air India passenger plane bound for London crashed in the city of Ahmedabad, in India’s western province of Gujarat, shortly after takeoff; 241 of the 242 people on the flight died, with Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British national, the sole survivor.
- The plane crashed into a medical college, reportedly killing an unknown number of medical students who were in the college’s hostel.
- India’s aviation minister said a formal investigation has been initiated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), in line with international protocols set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
- US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says there is “no indication” right now that there are any safety issues with Boeing’s 787-8 Dreamliner – the aircraft that crashed.
Special prayers offered at Hindu temples in London
About 100 people have gathered at a massive ornate temple in the Neasden area of the British capital, where much of the community has ties to the state of Gujarat, where the Air India flight crashed.
Yogvivekdas Swami said people were praying for all those affected.
“We will offer prayers for the unfortunate people who have passed away, the passengers, the crew, the pilots,” he said.
“Also for all their family members, that they may find strength and courage at this very difficult and challenging time.”
British couple post story on social media before boarding flight
A British couple, reportedly on the Air India flight that crashed, filmed a video of themselves at the airport before boarding.
Fiongal and Jamie Greenlaw-Meek, who run a spiritual wellness centre, laughed and joked on their Instagram story as they discussed a “10-hour flight back to England”.
In an earlier post, they shared their “mind-blowing” trip to India and their intention to create a vlog about it.
Police say Air India survivor leapt from crashing plane
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, the only known survivor out of the 242 people on board an Air India plane that crashed in Ahmedabad, had been sitting near an emergency exit of the London-bound flight and managed to jump out, police said.
Photos: Community members gather outside British survivor’s family home
British MP raises safety questions with Air India, UK aviation agency
Shivani Raja, a British parliament member who represents a district in Leicester, in the East Midlands, says she raised questions about the safety of the Air India flight.
“This flight route is very popular amongst the British Gujarati community, and many have been left understandably shaken by today’s horrific events,” Raja said in a statement shared on X.
“My office remains open to support local residents who have been impacted.”
As we’ve been reporting, officials say 53 passengers on board the Air India flight that crashed were British nationals.
How many people were killed on the ground in Ahmedabad?
That remains unclear.
“We are still verifying the number of dead, including those killed in the building where the plane crashed,” Vidhi Chaudhary, a top state police officer, told the Reuters news agency.
As we reported earlier, an official with the Federation of All India Medical Association said at least five students were killed when part of the plane fell on top of the dining area of BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad.
Nearly 50 others were also injured, the official said.
We’ll bring you more updates when we can.
US transportation chief says no immediate safety concerns with Boeing aircraft
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says there is “no indication” right now that there are any safety issues with Boeing’s 787-8 Dreamliner – the aircraft that crashed in India.
“We have no preliminary information,” Duffy told reporters during a news conference.
“We don’t have that information yet. It’s very new. Our teams are just going to deploy [to India] right now,” he said.
India’s home affairs minister visits people injured by the crash at hospital
Amit Shah has visited the sole survivor of the crash, as well as some of those who had been on the ground and were injured when the plane crashed.
In a post on X, he said he also spoke to the “affected family members and assured them of every possible support required for the swift recovery of the injured”.
The final moments before Air India Flight 171 crashes
A man who said he works a few metres from where the plane crashed has described what he saw in Ahmedabad.
“I heard a loud noise and came outside, and saw a big cloud of smoke. People started running. There was chaos,” he said.
British pilots group urges ‘full, thorough investigation’
Amy Leversidge, general secretary of the British Airline Pilots’ Association, says “pilots around the globe are deeply saddened” by news of the Air India crash.
“It is vital a full and thorough investigation is now carried out without interference or unhelpful speculation about the contributory factors so that future tragedies can be avoided,” Leversidge said in a statement.
As we’ve been reporting, the cause of the crash remains unclear as the investigation continues.
Where is Ahmedabad, the Indian city where Air India flight crashed?
Ahmedabad is the largest city in India’s western province of Gujarat, about 500km (310 miles) north of Mumbai.
Sitting on the banks of the Sabarmati River, Ahmedabad is home to nearly 7.4 million people, according to official statistics.
Ahmedabad’s airport – formally known as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport – is located in the city’s northeast.
There are indications that something went wrong ‘late in the takeoff roll’
Todd Curtis, the CEO of airsafe.com and a former safety engineer for Boeing, spoke to Al Jazeera about what he thinks happened to the Air India flight.
He said in the videos he has seen that the aircraft had a normal roll down the runway, but after takeoff, the climb stopped fairly soon, the aircraft levelled out, and then it slowly descended, so it was “under control” when it was descending.
He said he didn’t see “any flames or pieces falling off”, which, combined with the witness testimony that mentioned an explosion, led him to suspect that, sometime late in the takeoff roll, something went wrong, but they were too far down the runway to stop.
He said the landing gear appears to have stayed down throughout the time the plane was airborne.
Typically, within 30 seconds after taking off, the gear is either completely up or coming into the aircraft, so the fact that there was not even an attempt to raise the gear, from his perspective, suggests that “something seriously went wrong very early in the flight”.
Indian authorities turn to DNA testing to identify victims
Vidhi Chaudhary, a top state police officer in Ahmedabad, says “most of the bodies have been charred beyond recognition” after the plane hit the medical college hostel, killing and injuring dozens of students.
Dhananjay Dwivedi, a civil official in Gujarat, the state where Ahmedabad is located, told reporters that DNA testing arrangements were being made.
Air India confirms 241 of 242 people on board killed, only 1 survivor
“We regret to inform that, of the 242 aboard, there are 241 confirmed fatalities. The sole survivor is being treated in a hospital,” the airline has said in its latest update on the crash.
“The survivor is a British national of Indian origin,” it added.
The airline also confirmed that the plane crashed with 230 passengers and 12 crew members on board.
“Air India offers its deepest condolences to the families of the deceased. Our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of all those affected, their families and loved ones.”
Canadian citizen killed in crash identified
Media outlets in Canada are reporting that the Canadian citizen who died in the crash was a woman named Nirali Sureshkumar Patel.
Patel was a dentist from the city of Mississauga, just west of Toronto, in the province of Ontario.
Patel’s husband told The Canadian Press that he was booking travel to India for himself and the couple’s one-year-old child.
“That was my wife,” he told the news agency, without providing his name. “I am not in a state to speak right now.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford expressed his condolences, saying he was “saddened” to learn that a Canadian from Mississauga was among those killed in the “tragic” crash.
FAA engaged Boeing in crash probe: US transportation secretary
Sean Duffy says his office is working with the the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to assist India in its investigation into what happened while Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) investigators are deploying to the crash site.
“We are prepared to send additional resources to get the data we need to ensure the safety of the flying public,” the US transportation secretary said in a post on X.
“The FAA has already engaged Boeing and GE to review any necessary information as part of the investigation,” Duffy said.
“As the NTSB leads the investigation, we will not hesitate to implement any safety recommendations that may arise. We will follow the facts and put safety first.”
India’s aviation minister says a formal investigation has been initiated
Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu has announced that “a formal investigation” into the crash has been “initiated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), in line with international protocols set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)”.
In a post on X, he said New Delhi is putting together a “high-level committee comprising experts from multiple disciplines to examine the matter in detail”.
Photos: Night falls over Air India crash site
Still unclear why plane didn’t climb upon takeoff, expert says
As we’ve been reporting, the investigation into the cause of the crash is continuing, and experts say it is too early to say what exactly brought down the plane.
Former FAA and NTSB crash investigator Jeff Guzzetti told The Associated Press that it remains unclear why Air India Flight 171 was having difficulty climbing as it took off from the airport in Ahmedabad.
Video of the plane from right before the crash does not show any smoke or fire, so he said it does not appear that a bird strike was an issue. And even if the plane lost one engine, the second engine should be able to carry it aloft, Guzzetti added.
He told The AP that it’s possible that both engines started to “roll back” and lose power at the same time. “This happened on a [Boeing] 777 crash coming into Heathrow about 15 years ago. It was a dual engine rollback due to icing in the fuel. So there could be a fuel issue,” he said.
“Usually, fuel contamination issues rear their ugly head during takeoff.”
![A boy looks at Air India airline passenger aircrafts parked at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai, India, February 1, 2024. [File: Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/2025-05-15T160402Z_1453252179_RC2IT5ADIO6G_RTRMADP_3_INDIA-TURKEY-CELEBI-1749721352.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C578&quality=80)
If you’re just joining us
Let’s bring you up to speed on the latest developments:
- Media outlets in India are reporting that a passenger has survived the crash and has been taken to hospital for treatment of his injuries.
- Air India says it is working with local authorities on emergency response efforts as the investigation into what happened continues.
- Experts say that while it remains too early to speculate about the cause of the crash, questions are swirling around whether the plane was properly configured for takeoff.
- Boeing, the US corporation that manufactured the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that crashed, says it is “in contact” with the airline and stands “ready to support them”.
- Condolences are pouring in from around the world, with global leaders including UN chief Guterres expressing grief and support for all those affected.
Medical students hostel: What we know about where the plane crashed
As we’ve been reporting, Air India Flight 171 went down shortly after takeoff from the airport in Ahmedabad.
According to local media reports, the plane crashed into the hostel of BJ Medical College, located in a residential area outside the airport, during lunch hour. Officials said part of the plane fell on the college’s dining area.
Gujarat health secretary Dhananjay Dwivedi told reporters: “Ahmedabad Civil Hospital students hostel, staff quarters and other residential areas are located in the area where the plane crashed.”
Dwivedi added that “residents of that area were also injured” in the incident.
Parts of the plane’s body were scattered around the building into which it crashed. The tail of the plane was stuck on top of the building.
Ramila, the mother of a student at the medical college, told the Indian news agency ANI that her son had gone to the hostel for his lunch break when the plane crashed. “My son is safe, and I have spoken to him. He jumped from the second floor, so he suffered some injuries,” she said.
