Eyewitness accounts and harrowing images reveal students jumping from upper floors to escape the burning wreckage; nearly 40 doctors and students have been hospitalized.
BY PC Bureau
New Delhi, June 12: At least five medical students lost their lives and dozens more were injured after Air India Flight AI171 crashed into the hostel building of BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad shortly after takeoff. The victims include four undergraduate students and one postgraduate resident doctor.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, carrying 242 people—including 230 passengers and 12 crew members—was en route to London when it took off at 1:38 p.m. from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The aircraft failed to gain sufficient lift and crashed at a low altitude of just 825 feet.
Grim images from the crash site show abandoned lunch plates and toppled chairs in the hostel mess, suggesting students were eating when the plane tore through the building. A portion of the aircraft remains lodged inside the hostel structure.
Read: AI 171 Crash: Whistleblower’s Called Dreamliner ‘Time Bomb’
In a statement, the FAIMA Doctors Association expressed deep anguish:
“We are shocked by the news of the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad. It’s more disturbing to know it struck BJMC Hostel, injuring many MBBS students. We are monitoring the situation and ready to help.”
Nearly 40 doctors were injured, including one in critical condition. Dr. Shyam Govind, an eyewitness, told NDTV, “My junior and I were injured. Around 30–40 medical students were also hurt, and one or two are in serious condition.”
Black day for India 💔
Visuals from inside of the BJ Medical College UG Boys hostel mess in Meghani Nagar, Amdavad, Gujarat where Air India London bound flight crashed
Engine tore the walls of the hostel. Many students are feared to be dead as it was lunch time #PlaneCrash https://t.co/zJyrnyJAVB pic.twitter.com/nRps7cXAbM
— Karnataka Weather (@BengaluruRains_) June 12, 2025
Ramila, mother of a student present during the incident, said her son narrowly escaped:
“He was in the hostel for lunch. When the crash happened, he jumped from the second floor. He’s injured, but alive,” she told ANI.
According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the pilot, Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, had issued a Mayday call to Air Traffic Control just before communication was lost. A Mayday is the highest level of distress signal, used only during extreme emergencies.
READ: Air India Crash: Bodies recovered Charred Beyond Recognition
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the incident “heartbreaking beyond words.” In a message posted on X, he added:
“The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. My thoughts are with everyone affected. I am in touch with authorities and ministers overseeing relief efforts.”
