An Air India plane crashed just after five minutes taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport of Ahmedabad on Thursday, carrying 242 people. The flight was taking passengers to London. The aircraft, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, fell in the Meghani area, a small and crowded residential zone. Thick black smoke rose from the crash site, and videos of the scene quickly spread on social media.

Out of the 242 people on board, 12 were crew members. Reports suggest former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani may have been on the flight. Officials have not confirmed this yet. Out of 242, 169 reported to be Indian and 53 are Britishers.

Emergency teams reached the site within minutes. Local people also rushed in to help. Firefighters and rescue teams worked hard to control the blaze and search for survivors. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken full updates on the situation. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu is on his way to Ahmedabad. The government is expected to hold a press briefing soon.

The reason for the crash is still unclear. Officials from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) have started an investigation. Air India has not given an official statement yet. This tragedy has shocked the entire country. Families of passengers are waiting for news. Hospitals nearby are on high alert. This is one of the worst air disasters in recent years. More updates are expected as the rescue operation continues. The nation now waits for answers and prays for those on board.

Air India’s Statement

Minutes after the accident, the official X account of Air India posted a tweet writing, “Air India confirms that flight AI171, from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed. The flight departed from Ahmedabad at 1: 38 PM. It was carrying 242 passengers and crew members on board the Boeing 787-8 aircraft. Among the passengers 169 are Indian nationals, 53 are British nationals, 1 Canadian national and 7 Portuguese nationals. The injured are being taken to the nearest hospital. Air India have also set up a dedicated passenger hotline number 1800 5691 444 to provide more information. Air India is giving its full cooperation to the authorities investigating this incident and will release further information via regular updates on its X handle (https://x.com/airindia) and on http://airindia.com.”

Additionally, Air India have also requested all the media persons not to call the dedicated passenger hotline number.

People are now asking tough questions about the safety of planes in India. Are airlines doing proper checks, or just flying old planes without care? Are they putting profits above people? Some reports say the Air India flight had a technical issue before takeoff. If that’s true, why did it fly? Who checked the plane? Who gave the green signal? Are the rules being followed or ignored? These are not small concerns. When lives are at stake, safety should come first. Ignoring warnings is not just careless—it’s wrong. Why do we always wait for a disaster to ask these questions? Who will take responsibility for the lives lost?