Air India plane crashes in Ahmedabad, 242 people on board killed

An Air India passenger plane crashed in Ahmedabad, Gujarat this afternoon, killing all 242 people on board. The plane crashed into a medical college hostel, resulting in the deaths of 5 medical students. Air India flight AI 171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, took off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport for London Gatwick Airport at 1:39 PM (Indian Standard Time). A few minutes after takeoff, the plane crashed in the residential area of Meghani Nagar.

There were 230 passengers and 12 crew members on board the aircraft. Initial reports indicate that although the pilot sent an emergency signal, communication with air traffic control was lost. After the crash, the plane caught fire, which spread rapidly. Since the aircraft hit the medical college hostel, 5 students present there were killed. Rescue teams, fire service and police arrived at the scene and began rescue operations, but no survivors were found among the occupants.

India's civil aviation authority has formed a high-level committee to investigate the cause of the accident. Details are expected to be known through the analysis of the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder.