An Air India flight AI-171 with 242 passengers onboard crashed near Ahmedabad airport just a few minutes after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday afternoon, June 12. As per reports, out of 242 people onboard, only one passenger miraculously survived the tragedy. Many students at the hostel of BJ Medical College, including local residents, are the victims of the ill-fated Boeing 787 plane.
Among the victims, a 14-year-old boy standing near the tea stall in Meghaninagar area of Ahmedabad was hit on the head by an Air India plane's wreckage when the jet struck the medical hostel during the crash, leading to the death of five students and injuring several others.
The victim, a teenager, was identified as Akash and died on the spot. A relative of the victim, Chanda, who was present at the spot, said that when the Air India plane crashed, an explosion took place, and a fan of the flight struck Akash on the head and fell on the ground. "My name is Chanda. When blast took place and bright flash occured in the eyes, latter the fan of flight hit the head of the boy named Akash and he fell on the ground." Relative Chanda further said that after he fell suddenly, the fire caught the boy, and his mother held him in an attempt to save him.
"Suddenly the fire caught Akash and his mother tried to hold to rescue, but the blaze also caught her," Chanda told the news agency IANS. "Later in panic the mother left the son Akash and ran away from the scene, where boy died on the spot due to burns," she added further.
Hansa Ben, another relative of a victim, said, "We were outside on the road when the incident happened. My sister-in-law was running a tea stall there. Her son and she were both present at the spot. The boy was 15 years old and was sleeping on a rope bed (khatiya). Suddenly, there was a fire and he got caught in it. He didn’t survive. His mother has been admitted to the hospital."
Video of 14-Year-Old Mother Running Emerges
The aircraft, bound for Gatwick International Airport in London, took off from Sardar Patel airport at 1:39 pm and reached an altitude of 190 meters before the pilot issued mayday alert to Air traffic control (ATC). The plane then lost altitude rapidly, crashing into a hostel in Meghaninagar. This marks the first crash of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner in service.
A video captured the tragic moment of an Air India AI-171 flight plane crash shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad Airport. In a viral video, it can be seen that the Boeing-made B-787 aircraft struggled to stay in the air and later descended and suddenly burst into flames in the residential area in Meghaninagar.