Authorities deliver devastating confirmation as rescue teams complete grim search through wreckage of Boeing 787 that erupted in fireball minutes after takeoff
Police have now confirmed the worst fears of grieving families worldwide – there are NO survivors from the Air India passenger jet that crashed in western India earlier today, killing all 242 people on board including 53 British nationals.
The devastating confirmation came hours after Flight AI171, bound for London Gatwick, plummeted to earth just five minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad airport at 1:38pm local time, crashing into a residential area in a massive fireball that shocked the world.
“We can now confirm that there are no survivors,” a senior police official told reporters at the crash site late Thursday afternoon. “All 242 passengers and crew members have perished in this tragic accident.”
Grim toll rises as rescue teams work through wreckage
Initial reports had put the death toll at 30, then 105, but authorities have now delivered the heartbreaking news that everyone aboard the London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner has been killed in what marks the first-ever fatal crash of this aircraft type.
Rescue teams spent hours combing through the charred wreckage in the Meghani Nagar neighbourhood, where the fully-fueled jet slammed into a doctors’ hostel at B.J. Medical College, also claiming the lives of medical students who were in the building’s dining area.
“The building on which it crashed is a doctors’ hostel… we have cleared almost 70% to 80% of the area,” a police officer had said earlier, before the final devastating toll was confirmed.
The 242 victims: An international tragedy
The confirmed death toll includes:
- 169 Indian nationals
- 53 British citizens
- 7 Portuguese nationals
- 1 Canadian passenger
- 12 crew members including Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kundar
Among the victims was reportedly former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, though authorities have yet to officially confirm his presence on the flight.
‘Mayday’ then silence: Final moments revealed
Chilling new details have emerged about the aircraft’s final moments. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) confirmed the pilots issued a desperate “Mayday” distress call shortly after takeoff – but then fell ominously silent.
After the Mayday call, there was no response from the aircraft to the calls made by Air Traffic Control,” the DGCA stated.
Flight tracking data shows the doomed aircraft reached only 625 feet – barely above the airport’s 200-foot elevation – before beginning its fatal plunge. Horrifying footage captured by witnesses shows the jet flying low over buildings before suddenly descending and erupting in a massive explosion.
British PM leads international mourning
Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed his horror at the confirmation of no survivors, stating: “The scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy told the House of Commons that crisis teams in Delhi and London are working to support the families of the 53 British victims. This morning, we know that British nationals were on board,” he said, as the UK government scrambled to assist grieving families.
The Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed it was investigating reports that the seven Portuguese victims were dual nationals originally from Gujarat state.
Boeing’s ‘safest plane’ in first fatal crash
This catastrophe marks the first fatal crash of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner since the aircraft entered service in 2011, shattering the reputation of what aviation experts considered one of the safest planes in the sky.
Boeing shares tumbled 9% in pre-market trading as the aerospace giant grappled with the disaster. Aviation analyst Alex Macheras noted the 787-8 had maintained an “impeccable reputation in terms of safety” until today’s tragedy.
Families’ agonizing wait ends in heartbreak
Air India Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran confirmed the airline’s worst fears: “With profound sorrow I confirm that Air India flight AI171 operating Ahmedabad-London Gatwick was involved in a tragic accident today.
The airline has set up an emergency helpline – 1800 569 1444 – for distraught families, while counseling services have been established at both Ahmedabad and Gatwick airports.
At Gatwick, where the flight was due to land at 6:25pm local time, scenes of grief unfolded as families who had been waiting to welcome loved ones home instead received the worst possible news.
Investigation launched as India mourns
Indian Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, who is flying to Ahmedabad to personally oversee the response, said: “We are on highest alert. I am personally monitoring the situation and have directed all aviation and emergency response agencies to take swift and coordinated action.”
The DGCA has launched a full investigation, with international teams from the US (where Boeing manufactures the aircraft) and the UK expected to join the probe. The cause of the crash could take months to determine, investigators warned.
Deadliest disaster in years
This marks India’s worst aviation disaster since 2020, when 21 people died in an Air India Express crash in Kerala. The death toll of 242 makes it one of the deadliest aviation accidents globally in recent years.
All flights at Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport remain suspended as emergency teams continue their grim work at the crash site, where smoke could be seen billowing from miles away.
As the world reels from this tragedy, questions are already mounting about how a state-of-the-art aircraft with an impeccable safety record could suffer such a catastrophic failure just minutes into what should have been a routine flight to London.
For the families of 242 victims across four nations, those questions will have to wait as they grapple with the devastating reality that their loved ones will never come home.
