The Air India Ahmedabad Plane Crash, India’s Deadliest in Three Decades
The Ahmedabad plane crash, which is the deadliest in India in three decades, occurred just 3 km away from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in the city.
The aircraft, with 230 passengers and 12 crew members on board, collided with a doctors' hostel at BJ Medical College in the Meghani Nagar area, reducing the building to a charred ruin. Among the deceased was former Chief Minister of Gujarat, Vijay Rupani.
Air India reported that the Boeing aircraft had 169 Indian passengers, along with 53 British, 7 Portuguese, and 1 Canadian passenger. Of everyone aboard, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British citizen of Indian descent seated at 11A, was the sole survivor of the disaster.
The aircraft impacted three structures near BJ Medical College, including a dining hall where MBBS students were having their meals. The nearby five-storey buildings that accommodated hospital staff suffered severe damage, resulting in a massive fireball that engulfed the vicinity.
Emergency rescue teams, fire services, and over 150 CRPF personnel rushed to the scene that evening to sift through the debris and search for any survivors.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Ahmedabad. Following the tragedy, the PM shared on X: “The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. It is heartbreaking beyond words.” Civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu and home minister Amit Shah, who were at the site, described the extent of devastation as “unimaginable.”
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A temporary blood collection center was established inside the BJ Medical College examination hall, located behind Ahmedabad’s Civil Hospital mortuary, where mourning families provided DNA samples overnight to assist in identifying the victims of the Air India crash.