Ahmedabad, India – A devastating tragedy struck western India early Thursday morning when a London-bound Air India flight carrying 242 people crashed just moments after take-off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.
Local authorities have confirmed that 204 bodies have been recovered so far. It remains unclear how many of the victims were on board the aircraft and how many may have been on the ground when the plane went down. The crash site includes a residential compound used to house medical professionals, raising fears of additional ground casualties.
A senior police official told the BBC that one passenger survived the crash. Indian media have identified the survivor as a British national. The man, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, reportedly shared an image of his boarding pass with local reporters and described the terrifying moment the disaster unfolded.
“Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly,” Ramesh recounted.
According to Air India, the flight manifest included 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese citizens, and one Canadian. The aircraft’s intended destination was London Heathrow Airport.
The plane crashed into a building that provided accommodation for doctors. A woman who lived there described how her young son survived by leaping from a second-floor window as the structure was engulfed in flames.
Emergency services remain on the scene, and recovery efforts are ongoing. The cause of the crash is not yet known, and aviation authorities have launched a full investigation.
