The back of Air India flight 171 is pictured at the site after it crashed in a residential area near the airport in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025. A London-bound passenger plane crashed in the Indian city of Ahmedabad on June 12 and all 242 people on board were believed killed, with the jet smashing into buildings housing doctors and their families. (Photo by Sam PANTHAKY / AFP)
The death toll from the tragic Air India plane crash in the bustling city of Ahmedabad has risen to 279, marking it as one of the deadliest aviation disasters of the 21st century.
According to a senior police officer in Ahmedabad, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, 279 bodies have now been recovered from the wreckage site, up from an earlier confirmed figure of 265. The crash, which occurred on Thursday afternoon, involved a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner en route to London’s Gatwick Airport.
Of the 242 individuals on board, only one person survived the devastating crash. In addition, at least 38 residents on the ground lost their lives as the aircraft slammed into a densely populated residential area just moments after takeoff.
The death toll is expected to be finalised only after the completion of DNA identification, a process that is already underway. The passenger list includes 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, seven Portuguese nationals, one Canadian, and 12 crew members, according to Air India.
The ill-fated aircraft had reportedly climbed just over 100 metres (330 feet) before issuing a mayday call and crashing within moments, sending shockwaves through the residential district near the airport.
Emergency teams worked through the night and into Friday to retrieve the aircraft’s flight data recorder, also known as a black box, from the crash site. Recovery efforts for the cockpit voice recorder continue as investigators comb through the debris.
In a statement, Boeing confirmed that it was in contact with Air India and expressed readiness to offer technical support as investigations proceed. This incident marks the first recorded crash involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, a model known for its advanced safety features and global reliability.
Residents of Ahmedabad continue to mourn as rescue and recovery operations persist. The global aviation community, meanwhile, watches closely as investigators work to determine the cause of the catastrophic failure.
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