AHMEDABAD, India — Authorities in India have confirmed 270 deaths following the crash of Air India Flight AI171. The London-bound Boeing 787-8 crashed into a residential complex shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday. Only one passenger survived.
The aircraft, carrying 242 passengers and crew, went down less than one minute after takeoff, striking a building used as housing for doctors near BJ Medical College and Civil Hospital. The impact and explosion left most bodies burned beyond recognition.
Doctors at Civil Hospital confirmed they had received 270 bodies from the crash. “Of those, 241 were on board the aircraft,” said Dr. Dhaval Gameti, president of the hospital’s junior doctors’ association. Victim identification is underway, with more than 30 individuals confirmed through DNA testing matched against samples from relatives.
The crash also killed people on the ground. Officials have not released a final figure, but the death toll includes residents of the building struck by the aircraft.
India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is leading the investigation. Teams from the United States and the United Kingdom are assisting. On Friday, recovery crews found the aircraft’s black box, which contains flight data and cockpit recordings. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said the device “will significantly aid the inquiry.”
Tracking data from Flightradar24 shows the Dreamliner, 11 years old, had completed 25 flights between Ahmedabad and London Gatwick in the past two years.
In response to the crash, India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ordered immediate inspections of all Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft operated by Indian airlines. The agency called the measure preventive.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the crash site and hospital on Friday. He met with the sole survivor, 40-year-old British national Vishwashkumar Ramesh, who remains hospitalized. Modi later said, “The entire nation is praying for their speedy recovery.”
Air India’s CEO Campbell Wilson also toured the wreckage. He called the experience “deeply moving” and pledged full cooperation with the investigation.
Vigils for the victims have taken place in cities across India and the United Kingdom, where many of the passengers had ties. Families of victims remain at hospitals awaiting identification updates and the return of remains.
Flight AI171 was en route to London’s Gatwick Airport when it lost altitude seconds into its climb. Investigators are analyzing the black box, examining mechanical records, and reviewing pilot communications to determine what went wrong.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation. Authorities say a full report could take weeks as they compile data and complete forensic analysis.
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