A London-bound Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, India, on June 12, carrying 242 passengers and crew. The aircraft flew unusually low over the densely populated Meghani Nagar neighborhood before crashing and erupting in flames. Eyewitnesses described a terrifying scene as the plane’s nose struck a student canteen during lunchtime and the front wheel tore into a residential building housing doctors’ families. Thick smoke quickly filled the sky, prompting rapid response from emergency services. Communication with the flight was lost moments after departure, according to Sky News and Flightradar24.

Indian Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu stated he is closely monitoring the situation and confirmed that rescue and medical teams are fully mobilized. Initial reports suggested no survivors, but Ahmedabad police commissioner G.S. Malik later revealed that at least one survivor, 40-year-old British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, had been found alive and was able to speak to locals after escaping the wreckage. Gatwick Airport confirmed the flight, AI171, was scheduled to arrive in London at 18:25. Aviation expert Julian Bray called it a “major incident,” noting the Dreamliner’s advanced technology, while fluid mechanics specialist Jason Knight suggested a rare but catastrophic double engine failure—possibly caused by a bird strike—may be the cause. As investigators search for answers, the tragedy has left a community in shock and a nation mourning.