A harrowing video has emerged online that captures the moment the London Gatwick-bound Air India flight with 242 passengers and crew members on board crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad Airport in India's Gujarat. Of the total passengers there were 53 Britons on board the ill-fated flight.
Air India Flight 171—a Boeing 787 Dreamliner—plummeted back to the ground in the Meghani area of Ahmedabad just minutes after takeoff. The chilling video posted online on Thursday afternoon shows the plane fast plummeting moments after takeoff before it explodes into a huge fireball, with a massive plume of smoke billowing from the site of the crash near the airport.
Image of Death
Fragments of the doomed aircraft's fuselage and tail were seen protruding from the rubble of a demolished building. The exact cause of the crash remains unclear, as rescue operations are ongoing.
The plane was carrying 169 Indians, 53 British nationals, 7 Portuguese, and one Canadian passenger.
However, the extent of destruction visible in early photos suggests that there are likely to be heavy casualties.
The Indian government confirmed that 133 people have so far been killed. However, it is feared that all 242, including the crew members, died in the crash.
In a short statement posted on X, Air India said: "Flight AI171, operating Ahmedabad-London Gatwick, was involved in an incident today, 12 June 2025.
"At this moment, we are ascertaining the details and will share further updates at the earliest."
Flight tracking platform FlightRadar24 reported that the aircraft's transponder signal dropped just moments after takeoff. "We received the last signal from the aircraft at 08:08:51 UTC, just seconds after take off," it said.
Massive Casualties Likely
According to the DGCA, air traffic control received a "Mayday" call from the aircraft shortly before all contact was lost. The plane went down just beyond the airport boundary right after takeoff, with thick black smoke billowing from the wreckage.
The flight was being operated by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a Licensed Type Commander with 8,200 hours of flight experience, alongside First Officer Clive Kundar, who had logged 1,100 flying hours. An investigation into the incident is currently underway.
The Civil Aviation Ministry has been monitoring the situation closely.
India's Health Ministry confirmed that "many lives were lost" in the crash, though no specific figures were given. By 11:30 a.m. UK time, rescue teams reported retrieving at least 30 bodies from structures damaged by the impact.
Firefighters worked to extinguish the burning wreckage, while shocked residents in Meghani captured photos and footage showing dense black smoke rising from the crash site.
According to flight tracking service Flightradar24, the aircraft reached an altitude of only 625 feet before it started to descend.
