As the aftermath of the AI-171 Air India plane crash continues to unfold, Thakur Ravi, a cook at BJ Medical College’s undergraduate mess, is desperately searching for his mother and two-year-old daughter, both missing since the aircraft crashed into the college complex on Thursday.
“My mother, Sarlaben Pralhadji Thakur, and my two-year-old daughter, Adyaravi Thakur, have been missing since the crash,” Ravi told reporters. “My wife, mother, and I all worked as cooks at the UG students’ mess. I don’t know what happened to them.”
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, operating as Air India flight AI-171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed into the Meghaninagar area, striking the BJ Medical College premises soon after takeoff. Out of the 242 people onboard, only one survived. The tragedy also left a trail of destruction on the ground, where college staff and locals were caught in the chaos.
Eyewitnesses from the neighborhood described scenes of horror and devastation: “My house is just 100–200 metres from the crash site,” a local resident said. “When I reached, the fire was still burning. I saw bodies—some half-cut, some completely burned. It was terrifying.”
Another resident added, “I live about 700 metres away. When I heard about the fire, I rushed to the site. Police, firefighters, and even BJP workers were there. The sight was heartbreaking. Charred bodies were everywhere.”
As part of the ongoing investigation, Gujarat ATS recovered a Digital Video Recorder (DVR) from the crash debris, which will be analyzed by forensic experts to uncover more details about the crash.
The ill-fated flight was piloted by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a Line Training Captain with 8,200 flying hours, and co-pilot First Officer Clive Kundar, who had logged 1,100 flying hours. The aircraft departed from Runway 23 at 1:39 PM IST and issued a Mayday call, but lost communication shortly afterward before crashing just outside the airport perimeter.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has launched a formal probe, and a high-level multidisciplinary committee is being formed to review the incident and recommend safety enhancements. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is also preparing to send a team to India to assist in the investigation.
The Tata Group, which owns Air India, has announced ₹1 crore compensation for the families of each person who lost their lives.
On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the crash site and Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, where he met Vishwashkumar Ramesh, the sole survivor, and reviewed the relief efforts underway.