Ahmedabad, June 12, 2025: A Boeing 787 8 Dreamliner operating as Air India Flight AI 171, flying from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed seconds after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The aircraft lost lift and descended sharply into a residential area and a medical hostel, erupting in a massive fireball.
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Of the 242 people onboard (230 passengers and 12 crew), nearly all are believed to have perished. Ahmedabad police have recovered over 204 bodies, and rescue teams are still clearing debris amid reports of additional casualties on the ground.
Remarkably, only one passenger survived: 40 year old British Indian Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, seated in 11A. Ramesh sustained chest, eye, and foot injuries but managed to escape the wreckage amid destroyed bodies, telling rescuers, “I got up, ran… someone grabbed me and put me in an ambulance”.
Tragically, two cabin crew members from Manipur - Miss Lamnunthem Singson of Kangpokpi and Miss Nganthoi Sharma Kongbrailatpam of Thoubal - were on duty and lost their lives.
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This marks the first-ever fatal crash involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner since its rollout in 2011. Indian authorities, alongside the UK AAIB and US NTSB, are investigating. Emergency services from the Indian Army, NDRF, CISF, and local police are coordinating rescue and victim support efforts (theguardian.com). Air India, under Tata Group, has set up helplines and pledged full assistance, while global leaders, including PM Modi and UK PM Starmer, have expressed condolences .
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