A tragic aviation disaster unfolded on Thursday when Air India flight AI 171 crashed into a doctor’s hostel near Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, killing five people—including four medical students and the wife of a doctor—according to Indian Medical Association (IMA) Gujarat President Dr. Mehul Shah.
Despite the devastation, Dr. Shah confirmed that over 45 medical students were successfully rescued from the affected hostel area. “More than 100 doctors immediately arrived at the hospital campus to support the government. Unfortunately, we lost four medical students and a doctor’s wife. But fortunately, over 45 students were saved,” he said.
The IMA is actively coordinating with key officials, including Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi, Health Secretary Dhananjay Dwivedi, and hospital staff to respond to the emergency.
The doomed aircraft—a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner en route to London—was carrying 242 people: 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals, one Canadian national, and 12 crew members. Only one passenger, a British national of Indian origin, survived the crash.
In Pune, a relative of one of the victims spoke to ANI, recounting the family’s response. “His mother knew right away he was on that flight. The family rushed to Ahmedabad for DNA identification. His elder brother’s sample has been taken,” the relative said.
Following the incident, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has launched a formal probe. Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu confirmed the investigation on Thursday. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has also ordered enhanced safety checks on Air India’s Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 fleet.
This incident marks one of the deadliest aviation tragedies in recent Indian history.
