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LAST UPDATE | 12 Jun
THE BODIES OF 265 people have been recovered from the crash site of the Air India plane that crashed to the ground shortly after take-off this morning.
Flight AI171, which was bound for London Gatwick, departed Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel international airport in Ahmedabad, western India earlier today.
There were 242 people on board, including two pilots and ten cabin crew.
Police said earlier that they feared all of the people on board the plane had died, as well as more casualties from on the ground at the site where the plane hit.
However, local media later reported that at least one passenger has survived and has been brought to hospital with injuries.
Recovery efforts have located 265 bodies at this point, which includes people who were on the plane and also who were in buildings at the site of the crash.
The passenger list included 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian.
The plane crashed in a densely populated area between a hospital and the city’s Ghoda Camp neighbourhood at the site of accommodation for medical students and young doctors.
Updates by Lauren BolanD, Daragh Brophy and Mairead Maguire.
The Flight Radar 24 flight-tracking website said that flight #AI171 had a scheduled time of departure was 9:50am local time and scheduled arrival time in London of 6:25pm local time.
It reports that the signal from the aircraft was lost at 10:08am local time at 625 feet, less than a minute after take off.
India’s aviation minster said he was “shocked and devastated” and that his “thoughts and prayers are with all those on board and their families”.
“I am personally monitoring the situation and have directed all aviation and emergency response agencies to take swift and coordinated action,” Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said in a statment.
“Rescue teams have been mobilised, and all efforts are being made to ensure medical aid and relief support are being rushed to the site,” he added.
“My thoughts and prayers are with all those on board and their families.”
A spokesperson for Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad told the BBC that the airport is currently not operational.
All flights have been suspended until further notice.
Thick smoke was seen rising from the residential area where the plane came down.
“The injured are being taken to the nearest hospitals,” Air India said, adding that the airline “is giving its full cooperation to the authorities investigating this incident”.
Ahmedabad is an international airport located in the state of Gujarat, on the western coast of India, bordering Pakistan.
It’s about 500km north-west of Mumbai and 900km south-west of New Delhi.
There are no reports of any Irish citizens caught up in the crash.
A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs said: “The Department, including the Embassy of Ireland in India, is closely monitoring the situation and stands ready to provide consular assistance.”
People nearby have been fliming the aftermath of the crash.
The BBC has reported that the plane collided with a residential area near the airport and a hostel, where doctors for a local hospital stay, was hit.
It is not yet known how many people have been killed. The airline says the injured are being taken to the nearest hospitals.
Healthcare workers, police and security forces are at the scene of the crash. Here are the latest pictures of the destruction.
There has been expressions of sympathy in the Dáil for those affected by the crash, with Tánaiste Simon Harris calling it “an evolving story, with no doubt more information to come.”
Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty opened Leaders Questions by saying: “First of all, I think we’ve all just seen the news of the tragic plane crash in India on its way to to London, and all we can say at this time is our thoughts are with all of those affected as we wait for news.”
Harris, who is also Minister for Foreign Affairs, said: “Can I join with you at the outset in extending my sympathy to all of those caught up in the very tragic and horrific plane crash this morning, we think of all of them and their families, as you say, in what is an evolving story, with no doubt more information to come.”
The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is to support the British nationals who were on baord.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: “My thoughts and I’m sure those of the entire House are with those who’ve been affected by the tragic plane crash in India this morning.
“We know that British nationals were on board and I can confirm that the FCDO is working urgently with local authorities to support British nationals and their families, and has stood up a crisis team in both Delhi and in London.”
India’s prime minister Narendra Modi wrote in a post on X: “The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. It is heartbreaking beyond words.
“In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it. Have been in touch with Ministers and authorities who are working to assist those affected.”
The bodies of those who were killed in the crash are being removed from the scene.
An AFP reporter in the city said the plane crashed in an area between a hospital and the city’s Ghoda Camp neighbourhood.
The crowded residential area includes a hostel where medical students and young doctors live.
“When we reached the spot there were several bodies lying around and firefighters were dousing the flames,” eyewitness Poonam Patni told AFP.
“Many of the bodies were burned.”
Another resident, who declined to be named, said: “We saw people from the building jumping from the second and third floor to save themselves. The plane was in flames.
“We helped people get out of the building and sent the injured to the hospital.”
Police in Ahmedabad said no survivors were expected and warned of more deaths where the jet smashed down.
“There appears to be no survivor in the crash,” city police commissioner GS Malik told AFP.
“And since the airplane has fallen on an area which was residential and had some offices, there are more casualties as well.”
He did not give further details of those killed on the ground.
India’s Central Industrial Security Force has shared the first clear photo of the crashed plane on its Facebook page.
A “limited number” of flight operations have resumed at Ahmedabad Airport, a post on the airport’s X account says.
The airport was brought to a standstill earlier, after the crash.
The UK’s King Charles has said he was “desperately shocked” by the crash and sent his “prayers and deepest possible sympathies” to the families of those affected.
The plane had been bound for Gatwick Airport outside London.
“My wife and I have been desperately shocked by the terrible events in Ahmedabad this morning,” he said, calling it a “heartbreaking and traumatic time”.
Flight operations have now fully resumed at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad.
All flight operations at #AhmedabadAirport have resumed.
— Ahmedabad Airport (@ahmairport) June 12, 2025
For the latest flight information, please stay connected with your airline and our official updates.#SVPIA #Ahmedabad #TravelAdvisory #Aviation pic.twitter.com/FWEvNzMhQN
Local police have confirmed that 204 have been recovered in the latest count.
The deceased include plane passengers and also people who were in buildings that the plane smashed into.
“We have found 204 bodies,” city police commissioner GS Malik told AFP, adding that 41 injured people were “under treatment”.
“Rescue work is ongoing,” he said.
The US’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has said it is ready, alongside the US’s National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), to provide assistance to the Indian government in investigating the incident if requested.
“When an international incident occurs, that government leads the investigation,” the FAA said.
“In the event assistance is requested, the NTSB is the official U.S. representative and the FAA provides technical support.
“We stand ready to launch a team immediately in coordination with the NTSB.”
Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, has said he is “devastated” by the crash.
One of the passengers on the Air India plane was a Canadian national.
“Devastated to learn of the crash of a London-bound Air India plane in Ahmedabad, carrying 242 passengers — including one Canadian,” Carney posted on social media.
“Canada’s transportation officials are in close contact with counterparts and I am receiving regular updates as the response to this tragedy unfolds.”
President Michael D. Higgins has joined the chorus of world leaders extending their condolences to the loves ones of the people killed in the plane crash.
“As President of Ireland, may I express my deepest condolences to the families and communities of all those who have lost their lives in today’s tragic airplane crash in the city of Ahmedabad, India,” he said in a statement this afternoon.
“All of our thoughts are with those who are grieving those lost, be it passengers or those in the vicinity of the crash, as well as the emergency workers at the scene.
“As President, I extend the condolences of the Irish people to the President of India, H.E. Droupadi Murmu, His Majesty King Charles, and to the citizens and Heads of State of all those countries who have been impacted by this tragic event.”
The UK government has confirmed that it’s sending a team to India to support the investigation into the crash.
“The UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has formally offered its assistance to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, India,” the AAIB said in a statement.
“We are deploying a multidisciplinary investigation team to India to support the Indian-led investigation.”
Local media is reporting that at least one man has survived the crash, according to police, who had earlier said they feared there would be no survivors among those who were on board the plane.
The reported survivor has been named as Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British-Indian man who lives in London.
Ramesh has been taken to hospital for injuries.
The Hindustan Times has shared a photo of and interview with Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who they are reporting to be a survivor of the crash. He was seated in 11A and still had his boarding pass, the newspaper said.
Ramesh told the newspaper: “Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly.”
“When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran. There were pieces of the plane all around me.”
Dhananjay Dwivedi, the principal secretary of Gujarat state’s health department, has said, “yes, one survivor is confirmed”, according to AFP.
The survivor was being treated in hospital, he said, without adding further details.
Tata Sons, the company that owns the Air India airline, has said it will offer a sum equivalent to around €100,000 to each of the families who have lost a loved one in the crash.
It will also cover the medical expenses of people who were injured and provide support to re-build the accommodation building for medical students that was hit by the plane.
In a statement on social media, the chair of the group, Natarajan Chandrasekaran, said: “We are deeply anguished by the tragic event involving Air India flight 171. No words can adequately express the grief we feel at this moment.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families who have lost their loved ones, and with those who have been injured. Tata Group will provide ₹1 crore [around €100,000] to the families of each person who has lost their life in this tragedy.
“We will also cover the medical expenses of those injured and ensure that they receive all necessary care and support. Additionally, we will provide support in the building up of the B J Medical’s hostel.
“We remain steadfast in standing with the affected families and communities during this unimaginable time.”
We are deeply anguished by the tragic event involving Air India Flight 171.
— Tata Group (@TataCompanies) June 12, 2025
No words can adequately express the grief we feel at this moment. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families who have lost their loved ones, and with those who have been injured.
Tata Group will…
Eyewitness accounts of the crash have painted a picture of the shock and devastation caused by the sudden crash.
A local resident told AFP: “We saw people from the building jumping from the second and third floor to save themselves. The plane was in flames.”
A doctor named Krishna said that “the nose and front wheel landed on the canteen building where students were having lunch.”
He said he saw “about 15 to 20 burnt bodies”, while he and his colleagues rescued around 15 students.
US President Donald Trump has offered to help India following the crash.
“I let them know that anything we can do — we’ll be over there immediately,” Trump told reporters during a White House event.
“It was a horrific crash,” he said.
Rescue and recovery workers have been scouring through the wreckage at the scene of the crash.
The recorded death toll after the crash has risen to 260 people, police have confirmed.
That number is made up both of people on the plane and at least 19 who were on the ground when the plane crashed into a hostel for medical staff.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has not confirmed reports that a British national survived the plane crash.
Asked about the reports, the Labour leader said that the UK is “establishing the facts” of the case and investigations remain ongoing. He said the government is in contact with Indian authorities.
“I think it is important for all friends and family to contact the foreign office so we can roll out this as quickly as possible, but it is an ongoing investigation. It’ll take some time,” he told reporters at 10 Downing Street.
“But you know, our hearts and our thoughts are absolutely with the friends and families of all those affected, who are going to be absolutely devastated by this awful news.”
Boeing president and chief executive Kelly Ortberg has expressed the company’s “deepest condolences” to the families of the passengers and crew on board Air India Flight 171 and those impacted in Ahmedabad.
“I have spoken with Air India Chairman N. Chandrasekaran to offer our full support,” Ortberg said. “A Boeing team stands ready to support the investigation led by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.”
The British foreign minister has chaired a high-level government meeting with state and departmental leaders in London. He said that 53 British nationals were on board shortly after take off.
The official death toll count how now risen from 260 to 265.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Kanan Desai told reporters in India that “265 bodies have reached the hospital”.
It means that at least 24 people died on the ground when the plane crashed into the medical staff hostel, along with the passengers and crew on board the plane who died.
The toll may rise further as more bodies are located.
Airliner Air India confirmed this evening that there was only one survivor on flight AI171, which had 242 people on board at the time of the crash this morning.
The company said: “The survivor is a British national of Indian origin. Air India offers its deepest condolences to the families of the deceased.”
British-Indian passenger Vishwash Kumar Ramesh is the sole survivor. He is 40 years old and currently in hospital.
“Our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of all those affected, their families and loved ones. A team of caregivers from Air India is now in Ahmedabad to provide additional support,” the company said.
It added that it is going its “full cooperation” to authorities investigating the crash. A dedicated hotline has been established.
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