By Hannah Parry and Barney Henderson
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An Air India plane bound for London with 242 people onboard crashed as it took off in India's northwestern city of Ahmedabad.
The crash had just a sole survivor, British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, who was sat in seat 11A. Police said he survived by jumping out of the plane's emergency exit.
He is now receiving treatment in hospital.
"It all happened so quickly," said Ramesh, who suffered "impact injuries" but was able to walk away from the crash.
Here's what we know:
- On board were: 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, one Canadian national and seven Portuguese nationals.
- More than 200 bodies have been recovered from the crash site.
- The plane crashed into the medical college dorm of BJ Medical College Civil Hospital.
- At least five medical students were killed and 50 were injured, according to the Federation of All India Medical Association.
- The aircraft is a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.
Read more:
- List of Plane Crashes With Sole Survivor After Ahmedabad Air India Disaster
- Watch: Air India Survivor 'Walking Away' From Plane Crash
- Air India Plane Crash Victims: What We Know About Those on Board
- Air India Plane to UK Crashes at Ahmedabad Airport
If you have been affected by Air India plane crash, please email h.parry@newsweek.com and b.rahman@newsweek
Newsweek's live blog is closed.
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Jun 12, 2025 at 06:47 PM EDT
Sole survivor jumped out of emergency exit before plane crashed, police say
Ramesh Viswashkumar, the sole survivor of the plane crash, was sitting in seat 11A on the plane - by the emergency exit. He managed to open the emergency exit door and jump out of the plane before it crashed into the medical college dorm, police said.
"He was near the emergency exit and managed to escape by jumping out the emergency door," Vidhi Chaudhary, a senior police officer in Ahmedabad, told The Hindustan Times.
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Jun 12, 2025 at 04:35 PM EDT
Air India crash survivor called father after the crash
Sole crash survivor Vishwashkumar Ramesh called his father immediately after the deadly crash to let him know he was alive.
"He video called my dad as he crashed and said 'Oh the plane's crashed. I don't know where my brother is. I don't see any other passengers. I don't know how I'm alive, how I exited the plane,'" his brother Nayan told Sky News.
Jun 12, 2025 at 04:29 PM EDT
Air India confirms crash death toll of victims aboard flight
Air India confirms crash killed 229 passengers and 12 crew aboard Flight AI171.
The flight, from the Indian city of Ahmedabad to Gatwick, London on Thursday, was carrying 242 people.
However, there was a sole survivor, British national passenger Vishwash Kumar Ramesh.
Jun 12, 2025 at 04:21 PM EDT
World leader share condolences in wake of aviation tragedy
World leaders around the globe shared their condolences in the wake of the deadly Air India crash on Thursday.
French President Emmanuel Macron said that, "in this time of sorrow, I extend our heartfelt thoughts to the victims' loved ones and to Prime Minister Narendra Modi."
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres added that she was "deeply saddened" by the news of the crash, adding that she "wishes a swift and full recovery to those who were injured," said UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, "In this time of tragedy, Australia's thoughts are with everyone affected. Our government is receiving regular updates and we will continue to monitor the situation closely."
Jun 12, 2025 at 03:15 PM EDT
Aviation expert suggests flaps were not in take-off position
Aviation technical services specialist Artem Koreshkov told Newsweek on Thursday that footage of the Air India plane's take-off suggested that "the flaps were not in the takeoff position."
"The EICAS system alerts crews to configuration issues—like flaps, brakes, and seatbelts—through visual and aural warnings," he added.
Koreshkov added that until the black box data is analyzed, "procedural discipline and takeoff-phase training remain key focus areas."
Jun 12, 2025 at 02:52 PM EDT
List of plane crashes with sole survivor after Ahmedabad Air India disaster
An Air India crash in Ahmedabad, India, on June 12 has added a tragic chapter to aviation history. The flight, en route to the United Kingdom, was departing from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport when it crashed during takeoff.
Air India confirmed that the flight was involved in "an accident today after take-off," adding that 242 passengers and crew members were on board.
Local media outlets indicate that there is one survivor, a 40-year-old British national named Vishwash Kumar Ramesh.
This rare occurrence, where a single person walks away from a large-scale aviation disaster, has happened before but remains statistically extraordinary.
Read in full from Kate Nalepinski on Newsweek.
Jun 12, 2025 at 01:01 PM EDT
Lone survivor ‘disorientated’ with multiple injuries but ‘out of danger’, says doctor
The doctor who said he treated the lone survivor of the Air India plane crash said that despite his many injuries, he appears to be "out of danger."
Dr. Dhaval Gameti told Associated Press that British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh had been "disorientated" when he was brought to the hospital.
"He was disoriented with multiple injuries all over his body," Gameti said. "But he seems to be out of danger."
Footage of Ramesh, taken moments after the crash, showed him limping towards an ambulance.
Jun 12, 2025 at 12:51 PM EDT
NTSB confirms its sending US investigators to India
The National Transportation Safety Board has confirmed it is sending a team of American investigators to India to assist with the investigation into the cause of the crash.
"The NTSB will be leading a team of U.S. investigators travelling to India to assist the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau with its investigation into the crash of an Air India Boeing 787 in Ahmedabad, India, Thursday," the NTSB said in a post on X.
Jun 12, 2025 at 12:28 PM EDT
The crash is the first fatal incident for Boeing 787 Dreamliner
The Air India crash marks the first fatal incident involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, according to the Flight Safety Foundation crash database.
The model made its inaugural commercial flight in 2011 and has a good safety record.
It is not yet clear what caused the crash but U.S. safety officials said they are heading to India to assist in the investigation.
Jun 12, 2025 at 12:14 PM EDT
Surveillance footage of plane’s take off captures lack of lift
Surveillance footage of Flight AI171's take-off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport has captured the plane's lack of lift, moments before it crashed nearby.
Jun 12, 2025 at 11:51 AM EDT
Former Indian top official and Modi ally among crash victims, lawmaker says
A former member of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and a top elected official of the state where the crash occurred, was among the India Air crash victims.
Vijay Rupani, an ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the former chief minister in Gujarat, was killed when the plan crashed Thursday, Sambit Patra, of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, said on the social media platform X.
Jun 12, 2025 at 11:40 AM EDT
Trump reacts to Air India crash
President Donald Trump has commented on the deadly Air India crash that left just a sole survivor out of 242 passengers and crew.
During a White House event, Trump mentioned his Transport Secretary Sean Duffy who he said was doing a great job in response to the crash.
"They had a problem in India today and they're on that," Trump said, to applause.
Jun 12, 2025 at 11:20 AM EDT
IN PICTURES: Wreckage of Air India plane after crashing into Ahmedabad suburb
Jun 12, 2025 at 10:57 AM EDT
A ‘mystery’ why Air India plane still had landing gear down, says aviation expert
An aviation expert said that there appeared to be several anomalies with the Air India plane's take-off moments before the crash.
"There are two things that are needed for an aircraft take-off. One is adequate airspeed and the other one is a rate of climb. And that had neither," Paul Edwards, an aviation security analyst and fellow at the Royal Aeronautical Society, told Sky News after reviewing the footage.
Edwards said that pilots also typically retract the landing gear as they take off, so the plane can be more aerodynamic, but this did not happen with Air India Flight 171.
"It could have been [that the pilot] just didn't have time. Or it could be that perhaps he thought he could control it, go round again on land or even land straight ahead," he said, "So that remains, if you like, a mystery."
Jun 12, 2025 at 10:45 AM EDT
Video purports to show sole survivor walking away from crash
Incredible video, shared by the executive editor of Indian news channel TV9, reportedly shows the sole survivor of the Air India crash walking away from the crash site.
British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh is seen limping towards an ambulance in the footage.
His white shirt is blood stained and blood can be seen running down his face and matted in his hair a crowd assist him to the medical staff.
Jun 12, 2025 at 10:38 AM EDT
British man reported to be sole survivor of the crash describes horror moment plane went down
A British man who is reported to be the sole survivor of the Air India crash has described the horrific moment the plane crashed into a medical college dorm in in Ahmedabad, India.
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh told the Hindustan Times that he'd been able to walk away from the crash but had suffered "impact injuries" and was rushed to hospital.
"It all happened so quickly," said Ramesh, who explained he'd heard a loud noise around 30 seconds after take-off.
"When I got up, there were bodies all around me," he added. "I was scared. I stood up and ran. There were pieces of the plane all around me.
"Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital."
Ramesh said he lives in London with his wife and child but he had been visiting Diu, a coastal town in India, with his brother Ajay. His brother was seated in a different row on the plane.
Jun 12, 2025 at 10:27 AM EDT
India Air crash has sole survivor, local police report
An Air India plane bound for London with 244 people onboard crashed as it took off in India's northwestern city of Ahmedabad.
Local police said there was a sole survivor, The Telegraph reports. The man, who was sat in seat 11A, is now receiving treatment in hospital.
It is not clear how he survived the fiery crash after the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, bound for London, Gatwick, collided with a medical college dorm in the suburb of the Indian city of Ahmedabad, and erupted into flames.
Jun 12, 2025 at 10:08 AM EDT
At least five medical students killed, 50 injured in crash
At least five medical students were killed and 50 were injured after the India Air plane crashed into medical college accommodation, according to the Federation of All India Medical Association.
The aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff in Ahmedabad, hitting the canteen of B.J Medical College. The plane erupted into a fireball in the crash, setting alight part of the medical accommodation building.
Divyansh Singh, vice president of the Federation of All India Medical Association, that represents resident doctors across the country, said that several of the students who were injured are in critical condition.
"Some of the injured are critical. We are in close contact with our peers in the hospital who are on a lookout for more people feared buried in the debris," he said.
Jun 12, 2025 at 09:50 AM EDT
WATCH: Moment London-Bound Air India flight AI171 hits residential area
Jun 12, 2025 at 09:44 AM EDT
Indian authorities requesting DNA from family to identify victims
Authorities in Ahmedabad, India, are preparing to carry out DNA testing to identify the hundreds of victims in the India Air crash.
Family members of the flights passengers and crew have been asked to submit DNA samples that can be used by authorities to identify the dead.
Jun 12, 2025 at 09:25 AM EDT
Air India flight from London to India canceled in wake of crash
An Air India flight from Gatwick Airport in London, to Goa, India has been canceled in the wake of the crash.
The flight had been due to leave Thursday night at 8.20 p.m. local time, bound for Goa's Manohar International Airport.
Air India did not provide any details for the cancelation.
Jun 12, 2025 at 09:12 AM EDT
Head of Pakistani delegation sends condolences after crash
The head of a Pakistani delegation travelling to world capitals on behalf of Islamabad's interests had sent his condolences after the Air India crash.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, a former Pakistani foreign minister, said he was "saddened to hear a tragic incident occurred earlier today."
"I express my profound condolences to the people of India," he added.
Jun 12, 2025 at 09:02 AM EDT
US ready to send aviation investigation team to assist Indian officals
The U.S. government is prepared to send a team of investigators to assist Indian officials after the Air India crash, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said.
The FAA said that, if Indian officials request their assistance, they could provide technical report while the National Transportation Safety Board would be the main investigation team for the U.S.
The NTSB investigates the causes of about 450 international crashes every year.
Jun 12, 2025 at 08:55 AM EDT
Air India’s safety record
While civilian plane crashes aboard Air India have been rare, the carrier does have a record of deadly incidents.
In 2020, an Air India Express**—a subsidiary of Air India—**with almost 200 passengers and crew skidded off a runway during heavy rain, killing 17.
In 2010, another Air India Express flight crashed in 2010 killing 158 people.
There were four other major crashes on flights operated by Indian Airlines, which later merged with Air India, in the late 1980s and early 1990s. While in 1978, an Air India crash killed 213.
Jun 12, 2025 at 08:39 AM EDT
King Charles III offers condolence in wake of the crash
King Charles III and Queen Camilla have offered their condolences in the wake of the deadly crash.
In a statement on Thursday morning, the British monarch said, "Our special prayers and deepest possible sympathy are with the families and friends of all those affected by this appallingly tragic incident across so many nations as they await news of their loved ones."
Jun 12, 2025 at 08:35 AM EDT
Many medical students injured when plane hit doctors’ accommodation: Medical Association
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The Federation of All India Medical Association has said that many medical students were injured when the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner plane crashed into the resident doctors' hostel of BJ Medical College Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad.
In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, the Association said it was "deeply shocked" by the crash and was closely monitoring the situation and was ready to provide necessary help.
Images of the aftermath of the crash shows fire crews working to extinguish the blaze at the resident doctors' accommodation.
Inside, photos show the canteen with food still on the table after residents abandoned it and fled during the crash.
Jun 12, 2025 at 08:29 AM EDT
Safety expert says crash is highly unusual
A safety expert has said the India Air crash appears to be highly unusual.
John McDermid, a computer science professor at the University of York with expertise in safety engineering, told Associated Press that jets have many backup systems, such as the ability to climb with only one engine, so it was surprising so many had failed within moments of takeoff.
"Pilots can abort takeoff until quite late," McDermid said. "So it seems like the problem occurred very suddenly in the final part of the takeoff roll, or shortly after takeoff, and was sufficiently serious to be unmanageable."
Jun 12, 2025 at 08:14 AM EDT
Flights resume at Ahmadabad airport
Flights have resumed at Ahmedabad airport, the Indian civil aviation ministry has said.
"Flight safety protocols are being followed with utmost care," the ministry said.
Jun 12, 2025 at 08:14 AM EDT
IIN PICTURES: Shocking image shows plane jutting out of medical college hostel after crash
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Jun 12, 2025 at 08:05 AM EDT
‘No survivors’ from plane that was carrying 242 people
Ahmedabad's city police commissioner says there don't appear to have been any survivors from the plane. It was carrying 242 people.
He added that there are likely also casualties from the residential area where it went down.
"It appears there are no survivors in the plane crash," Commissioner G.S. Malik told The Associated Press, adding that with the plane crashing in a residential area with offices, "some locals would have also died."
"Exact figures on casualties are being ascertained," he said.
Jun 12, 2025 at 08:04 AM EDT
Who was on board?
The Air India plane was carrying 242 passengers crew when it crashed into a medical college hostel on Thursday.
They include:
- 169 Indian nationals
- 53 British nationals
- One Canadian national
- Seven Portuguese nationals
Jun 12, 2025 at 07:51 AM EDT
Latest pictures from the crash site
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Jun 12, 2025 at 07:46 AM EDT
More than 100 bodies recovered: police
Ahmedabad police have announced that more than 100 bodies have been recovered from the crash site and taken to a local hospital.
Jun 12, 2025 at 07:39 AM EDT
Fire crews working at crash site
Jun 12, 2025 at 07:28 AM EDT
India’s recent major plane crashes
In August 2020, an Air India Express Boeing 737 overshot a hilltop runway in Kozhikode, a city in southern India, crashing into a gorge and breaking apart. The accident claimed the lives of 21 people and injured scores more, drawing renewed scrutiny to aviation safety in the country.
The worst air disaster in India was the midair collision on November 12, 1996, when a Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 747 and a Kazakhstan Airlines Ilyushin Il-76 cargo jet collided in the skies near Charkhi Dadri in Haryana state. All 349 people aboard the two aircraft were killed in what remains one of the world's deadliest aviation accidents.
Jun 12, 2025 at 07:12 AM EDT
Air India plane crash in pictures
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Jun 12, 2025 at 07:05 AM EDT
Boeing shares plunge
Shares in Boeing Co. sank as much as 9 percent in pre-market trading on Thursday, as the aerospace giant scrambled to respond to the Air Insia plane crash. The incident comes at a critical moment for the company, just days before the Paris Air Show—one of the aviation industry's marquee events—where Boeing is expected to compete with European rival Airbus for major airline orders.
The timing is a blow to Boeing as it continues efforts to rebuild trust following two fatal crashes involving its 737 Max 8 jets in 2018 and 2019. Lion Air Flight 610 crashed into the Java Sea shortly after takeoff from Jakarta, killing 189 people. Less than five months later, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed after departing Addis Ababa, resulting in 157 deaths. Both incidents led to a global grounding of the 737 Max fleet and a years-long crisis for Boeing's commercial aircraft division.
Jun 12, 2025 at 06:52 AM EDT
Modi: crash is ‘heartbreaking’
Narendra Modi, the Indian prime minister, who is from Ahmedabad, has said the crash is "heartbreaking".
"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," Modi write on X.
Jun 12, 2025 at 06:40 AM EDT
Keir Starmer: scenes from Ahmedabad ‘devastating’
Keir Starmer, the British prime minister, has said the scenes from Ahmedabad are "devastating". There were 53 Britons on board the plane.
"The scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating," he said.
"I am being kept updated as the situation develops, and my thoughts are with the passengers and their families at this deeply distressing time."
King Charles is being kept updated with developments, Buckingham Palace has announced.
Jun 12, 2025 at 06:35 AM EDT
Rescue workers at the crash site
The rescue operation is ongoing at the crash site in Ahmedabad.
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Jun 12, 2025 at 06:26 AM EDT
Indian minister ‘shocked and devastated’
India's Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said he was "shocked and devastated" by the crash.
"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 minister posted to X.
"Rescue teams have been mobilised, and all efforts are being made to ensure medical aid and relief support are being rushed to the site. My thoughts and prayers are with all those on board and their families."
Jun 12, 2025 at 06:25 AM EDT
Boeing issues first statement
Boeing has given its first statement on the crash:
"We are aware of initial reports and are working to gather more information," the Boeing statement said.
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Jun 12, 2025 at 06:19 AM EDT
Boeing 787 Dreamliner’s First Crash
The crash is believed to be the first crash of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner since it entered commercial service, according to data from the Aviation Safety Network.
The 787, a widebody twin-engine jetliner, was introduced in 2009 and has become a key component of long-haul fleets around the world. More than 1,000 units have been delivered to dozens of airlines globally, according to aviation tracking service Flightradar24.
The incident marks a significant moment in the operational history of the Dreamliner, a model previously recognized for its strong safety record.
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