At least 290 people have been confirmed dead following the catastrophic crash of an Air India flight departing from Ahmedabad airport, according to health officials.
The aircraft, bound for London, veered off course shortly after takeoff and slammed into a hostel housing medical doctors, causing widespread devastation both in the air and on the ground.
Authorities stated that 242 individuals were aboard the ill-fated flight, with 241 fatalities recorded among the passengers. Only one person survived the crash—a British national seated in 11A, next to an emergency exit.
The plane’s engine tore through the hostel facility, claiming additional lives on the ground.
Images from the scene show the aircraft’s tail protruding from the building. The crash site was described as chaotic, with wreckage scattered and victims trapped in the rubble.
Senior police official Vishaka Dabral told The Washington Post that 269 bodies had been transported to Civil Lines Hospital by late Thursday, June 12.
Police are still working to confirm the total number of casualties, including those inside the hostel at the time of the crash.
One mother, Ramila, recounted to ANI how her son had gone to the hostel for lunch and narrowly escaped death.
“My son is safe, and I have spoken to him. He jumped from the second floor and suffered some injuries,” she said.
The sole surviving passenger, Ramesh Viswashkumar, shared his harrowing experience from his hospital bed with the Hindustan Times.
He described a loud explosion just 30 seconds after takeoff, followed by chaos.
“When I got up, there were bodies all around me… Someone grabbed me and put me in an ambulance,” he recalled. His brother Ajay was also aboard the plane but has not been found.
Ahmedabad Police Chief G.S. Malik confirmed that the deceased include both passengers and individuals on the ground.
Among the dead is Vijay Rupani, former Chief Minister of Gujarat, further intensifying the national grief.
Rescue and identification efforts are ongoing, as India comes to terms with one of its deadliest aviation disasters in recent memory.
