Ahmedabad, India — In a devastating turn of events, an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner carrying 242 people crashed just seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Wednesday morning. Authorities fear 241 lives have been lost, making this one of the deadliest aviation disasters in Indian history — and the first fatal crash involving the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
Designated Flight AI171, the aircraft was en route to London Gatwick when it disappeared from radar approximately 30 seconds after takeoff. Eyewitnesses on the ground reported a sudden explosion and a fireball tearing through the morning sky, moments before the aircraft slammed into a hostel complex at BJ Medical College in the densely populated Meghani Nagar area.
“I saw flames in the sky — then a thunderous crash,” recounted Pravin Mehta, a local shopkeeper. “There was a deafening roar, and then everything went black with smoke.”
The aircraft, tail number VT-ANB, had been in service with Air India since January 2014 and had logged over 11 years of flight time. Onboard were 230 passengers and 12 crew members, including 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese citizens, and one Canadian. Indian authorities confirmed that one individual — 40-year-old Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British-Indian dual national — miraculously survived, reportedly escaping through an emergency window amid the chaos.
In addition to the aircraft’s occupants, at least 75 medical students were killed in the hostel building that bore the brunt of the crash. Emergency crews and the Indian Army worked through the night, pulling bodies from the wreckage and providing aid to the injured.
Air India’s parent company, Tata Sons, has issued a statement expressing “deep and profound sorrow,” pledging full cooperation with investigators and immediate compensation for victims’ families. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the incident “a national tragedy,” and ordered a high-level probe into the crash.
International aviation authorities, including Boeing, India’s DGCA, and the UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), are collaborating to determine the cause of the disaster. Early speculation points to a catastrophic mechanical failure or possible bird strike, though officials have cautioned against drawing conclusions ahead of a formal investigation.
The crash of AI171 is the airline’s first major hull loss since the infamous bombing of Air India Flight 182 in 1985 — and a grim milestone as the first fatal accident involving a Boeing 787.
As the sun sets over the smoldering wreckage in Ahmedabad, the world watches — grieving, and waiting for answers.
No comments:
Post a Comment