Air India plane crash: Everything we know about Flight AI171 disaster

A family set to move to London was also travelling on the Air India plane,NDTV reported.

Dr Prateek Joshi has returned to Banswara to pick up his wife,Dr Komi Vyas,and their twin boys,Nakul and Pradyut,five,and their eight-year-old daughter,Miraya,so they could start a new life in the UK.

Vijay Rupani,Gujarat’s former chief minister,was confirmed to be a passenger by India’s ruling party,BJP.

Komi Vyas,a doctor who worked in a hospital in Udaipur,had quit her job and was moving to join her husband,Dr Prateek Joshi,in London with their three children

A senior police official in Ahmedabad said this evening that 269 bodies had been brought to the main hospital so far. These figures include both people on board the flight and those on the ground.

What was the cause of the crash?

It is not yet known what caused the crash,but aviation teams are investigating the incident. Plane crash investigations are complex and can take years to carry out.

The crash is India’s deadliest aviation disaster since 1996.

Luggage piled up by the crash site (Picture: EPA)

People attend prayers at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir,the Hindu Neasden Temple,London (Picture: AP)

The aircraft was piloted by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal,who had 8,200 hours of flying experience and co-pilot Clive Kundar,who had 1,100 hours of flying experience. There were also 10 crew on board.

He issued a mayday call,then stopped responding and crashed immediately afterwards,according to India’s aviation regulator,DGCA.

Not a single Dreamliner,also known as a 787,has ever been destroyed beyond repair in an accident,according to a Boeing report in April.

While it had never been involved in a fatal accident,it has experienced operational failures that caused injuries.

Boeing has said: ‘We are in contact with Air India regarding Flight 171 and stand ready to support them. Our thoughts are with the passengers,crew,first responders and all affected.’

What have world leaders said about the crash?

People gather at the site of a plane crash near Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (Picture: EPA)

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the crash was ‘absolutely devastating’ and that the investigation will ‘take some time’.

King Charles is being kept updated about the ongoing situation.

Charles and Queen Camilla said they are ‘desperately shocked by the terrible events in Ahmedabad this morning’.

They said: ‘Our special prayers and deepest possible sympathy are with the families and friends of all those affected by this appallingly tragic incident across so many nations,as they await news of their loved ones.

‘I would like to pay a particular tribute to the heroic efforts of the emergency services and all those providing help and support at this most heartbreaking and traumatic time.’

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said in a post on X: ‘The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. It is heartbreaking beyond words.

Firefighters work at the site in Ahmedabad following the crash (Picture: AP)

‘In this sad hour,my thoughts are with everyone affected by it. Have been in touch with ministers and authorities who are working to assist those affected.’

Sir Keir Starmer said his thoughts are with the passengers and families of those on board.

He said: ‘The scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating.

‘I am being kept updated as the situation develops,and my thoughts are with the passengers and their families at this deeply distressing time.’