London-Bound Air India Flight Crashes After Takeoff — One Survivor Found

Tragedy struck just moments after Air India Flight AI171 took off from Ahmedabad, India, en route to London Gatwick. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, carrying 242 people, crashed into a residential building less than a minute after takeoff, sending a plume of black smoke over the city.

Authorities say the plane lost signal at just 625 feet above the ground before slamming into housing used by local doctors. The wreckage was devastating. So far, only one survivor has been confirmed: 44-year-old British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who managed to walk away from the burning debris and is now in stable condition at a hospital.

“There was a loud noise and then everything went black,” Ramesh told the Hindustan Times. “When I woke up, there were bodies around me. I just ran.”

The flight had 169 Indian citizens, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian aboard—including 11 children. The full death toll remains unclear.

World leaders expressed their shock and sympathy. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the crash “heartbreaking beyond words,” and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the incident “devastating.”

Investigations are underway as families await answers, clinging to hope in the wake of unimaginable loss.