Air India Flight AI 171, en route to London, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport, with rescue efforts currently in progress.
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| Credit _Amar Ujala |
A senior BJP leader reported that former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was likely on board the Air India flight to London that crashed shortly after departing from Ahmedabad airport on Thursday.
Vijay Rupani was traveling to London on the Air India flight,” stated Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, a prominent state BJP leader.
I am heading to the city civil hospital to check on his condition,” Chudasama informed the media.
On June 12, 2025, a catastrophic aviation disaster struck when Air India Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed into a residential area in Ahmedabad’s Meghani Nagar, mere minutes after departing from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:38 p.m. local time, en route to London’s Gatwick Airport.
The flight, carrying 242 individuals—comprising 230 passengers (including 217 adults, 11 children, and 2 infants) and a crew of 12, led by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder—plummeted shortly after reaching a maximum altitude of 625 feet, as per Flightradar24 data, following a mayday call issued to air traffic control.
Among the passengers was former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Ramniklal Rupani, a prominent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader who served as the state’s 16th chief minister from August 2016 to September 2021, confirmed to be seated in business class (seat 2D, passenger number 12 on the manifest), as reported by senior BJP leader Bhupendrasinh Chudasama and corroborated by passenger list documents accessed.
Chudasama, visibly concerned, stated he was rushing to the city civil hospital in Ahmedabad to seek updates on Rupani’s condition, reflecting the widespread anxiety surrounding the fate of the former chief minister and other passengers, which included 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, 7 Portuguese nationals, and 1 Canadian citizen.
The crash, which occurred in clear weather conditions, resulted in a massive fire fueled by the aircraft’s heavy load of fuel for the nine-hour transcontinental journey, with the plane slamming into a doctors’ hostel at B.J. Medical College, causing significant destruction and complicating rescue efforts led by seven fire engines and emergency teams, as thick plumes of black smoke billowed from the site, witnessed by residents who reported hearing explosions and seeing scattered debris and bodies.
Operations suspended at Ahmedabad airport
Catastrophe Strikes Ahmedabad! Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport is in complete lockdown after a devastating Air India crash rocked the region! Flight AI 171, bound for London’s Gatwick Airport, met with disaster moments after takeoff on Thursday, plummeting just outside the airport’s perimeter in a heart-stopping tragedy.
The once-bustling hub has now ground to a screeching halt, with all flight operations indefinitely suspended as authorities scramble to respond.
‘Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport is currently paralyzed, with no flights in or out until further notice,’ a visibly shaken airport spokesperson declared, as chaos and uncertainty grip travelers and the nation awaits answers!
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