Air India Plane Crash Leaves 241 Dead; One Passenger Walks Away Alive

Rescuers combing the wreckage of Air India Flight 171 near Ahmedabad found one astonishing survivor: 40-year-old Vishwashkumar Ramesh, a British national who was hurled clear when the Boeing 787 split apart just minutes after take-off. He staggered through debris and flames to an ambulance, while firefighters battled the inferno that engulfed a medical college hostel struck by the falling jet. Authorities now confirm 241 fatalities, including several students caught in the dormitory and a Canadian dentist from Mississauga, Ontario.

Investigators say the Dreamliner plunged shortly after leaving Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport en route to London Gatwick, scattering charred wreckage and bodies across the campus of B.J. Medical College. Early witness video shows the jet’s nose pitching up before a sudden descent and fireball—an unusual failure for an aircraft designed to fly safely on a single engine. Teams from India’s DGCA, Boeing and, if requested, the U.S. NTSB will examine flight-data recorders, flap settings and possible structural faults.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared three days of national mourning, while leaders from Canada and the U.K. offered condolences. Air India has set up emergency centres and released an updated passenger list: 169 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese and one Canadian. Thursday’s tragedy is the first fatal crash of a 787 Dreamliner, raising fresh scrutiny of Boeing as it negotiates a U.S. Justice Department settlement over earlier 737 Max disasters. For now, grief grips Ahmedabad as families await DNA confirmation of remains and the lone survivor begins a long road to recovery.