Air India Flight AI171 crashed just minutes after leaving Ahmedabad Airport on June 12, killing nearly everyone on board. The London-bound jet climbed to only 625 feet before falling from the sky and hitting a medical college hostel four miles from the runway.
There were 242 people on the flight: 169 Indians, 53 British nationals, one Canadian, and seven Portuguese passengers. Only one man, 40-year-old Vishwash Kumar Ramesh from the UK, survived. Police confirmed at least 265 bodies have been found, including victims on the ground.
Captain Sumeet Sabharwal sent a desperate call moments before impact: “Mayday… no thrust, losing power, unable to lift.” He and First Officer Clive Kunder tried to save the plane but had no chance to recover control.
Air India’s chairman called the disaster a “tragic accident” and promised support for victims’ families. Emergency teams remain at the site, and investigators are working to uncover exactly what went wrong as the nation mourns a shocking loss of life.