A devastating tragedy struck on Thursday afternoon when Air India flight AI-171, bound for London Gatwick, crashed just one minute after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad.
The crash occurred at approximately 1:40 PM, as confirmed by Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha during the government’s first official press conference on the incident.
The Government of India held its first official briefing on the crash, led by Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu. Officials began the press conference with a minute of silence to honour the lives lost in the accident.
According to preliminary reports, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner collided with a residential building housing doctors, resulting in the deaths of 241 out of 242 people on board. Only one survivor has been confirmed, and is currently receiving critical medical care.
The aircraft had no reported issues prior to the incident and had successfully completed earlier legs of its journey from Paris to Delhi and Delhi to Ahmedabad.
