Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India]: US President Donald Trump expressed deep sorrow over the tragic Air India plane crash in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad, terming it “terrible and horrific” and offering support to India in this hour of crisis.
Speaking during a Bill Signing Ceremony on Thursday, Trump called the incident one of the “worst in aviation history” and assured India of any assistance required from the United States.
“The plane crash was terrible. I’ve already told them, anything that we can do—we will be over there immediately. But, it was a horrific crash. It looks like most are gone, maybe a couple of survivors. That was a horrible crash. No one has any idea what it might be,” Trump said.
Referring to the initial reports, Trump mentioned that the aircraft appeared to have lost power, ruling out signs of an explosion. “I gave them a couple of pointers. I said, maybe you will look at this. The plane looked like it was flying pretty well. It just looked like engines had maybe lost power. That is a terrible crash,” he added.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, operating as Air India flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday afternoon. The aircraft, carrying 242 people—including 12 crew members—crashed into a doctors’ hostel near the airport perimeter.
According to Jaipal Singh Rathore, Joint Commissioner of Police, Ahmedabad, “After the takeoff, the plane crashed here and after preliminary enquiry, we got to know that it crashed into a building, which is a doctors’ hostel.”
One survivor has been found in the wreckage. Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik confirmed that the survivor was seated in 11A and is currently hospitalised. “The death toll may increase as the flight crashed in a residential area,” he added.
Air India confirmed that the flight was carrying 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian national.
“Flight AI171, from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, was involved in an accident today after take-off. The injured are being taken to the nearest hospitals. A dedicated passenger hotline—1800 5691 444—has been set up,” Air India said in an official statement.
The aircraft was commanded by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kundar. As per Air Traffic Control (ATC), the flight departed from runway 23 at 1339 IST (0809 UTC) but made a Mayday call before losing all communication. The plane then crashed outside the airport perimeter, sending heavy black smoke into the sky.
Three National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, comprising 90 personnel from Gandhinagar, have been dispatched to aid rescue and recovery efforts.
Ahmedabad City Police has issued an emergency helpline number (07925620359) for inquiries and assistance related to the incident.
Rescue operations are underway, and further details are awaited as the investigation into the cause of the crash continues.