Ahmedabad, June 13, 2025— At 1:38 PM on June 12, Air India Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner carrying 242 passengers and crew, issued a mayday call moments after takeoff from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. Seconds later, it slammed into the Attulyam hostel of B.J. Medical College, igniting a fireball fueled by 125,000 liters of jet fuel.
Over 260 lives were lost, including former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, with at least five medical students killed on the ground. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, firefighters, and police rushed to the Meghani area, facing a smoldering wreckage where 70% of passengers were found still strapped in their seats.
One man, British-Indian Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, survived, pulled from the debris near seat 11A. The scale of this tragedy—the deadliest aviation disaster in a decade—demands answers.
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Black Box Victory: A Clue Emerges
Rescuers recovered one of Flight AI171’s two black boxes, a pivotal find confirmed by local reports, though it’s unclear if it’s the flight data recorder or cockpit voice recorder. NDRF’s Hari Om Gandhi reported six teams working tirelessly with state and central agencies, combing the hostel’s charred remains for the second box and aircraft parts.
Early theories point to a loss of engine thrust, with the plane reaching only 672 feet before crashing. Every fragment recovered could unlock why this Dreamliner, with a spotless safety record since 2011, failed catastrophically. Time erodes the evidence in the heat-soaked debris, adding to the pressure.
Hostel Devastated: A Community in Mourning
The crash obliterated parts of the Attulyam hostel, built just a year ago for medical students. Witnesses described an earthquake-like jolt, with dense black smoke engulfing Meghaninagar. Rescuers face the grim task of searching for missing students and locals, with ground casualties estimated at up to 24.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, visiting the site at 9 AM, met the injured and Rupani’s family, calling the scene “heartbreaking beyond words.” Gujarat’s government, on high alert, completed DNA matching to identify victims, a somber process for grieving families, including those abroad. The community’s wounds run deep.
Did you know?
In 1999, the Indian Air Force airlifted 50,000 people stranded by a Gujarat super cyclone, one of the largest rescue operations in history. That legacy of heroism echoes in Ahmedabad’s NDRF teams, who now face a wreckage-strewn battlefield to save lives and find clues.
Unyielding Heroes: The Cost of Bravery
NDRF, CISF, RAF, and local emergency teams worked through the night, dousing flames and clearing 70–80% of the wreckage. The emotional toll is staggering—rescuers carried 269 bodies to Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, many unrecognizable. Yet their mission persists: to find every victim and every clue.
With rescue operations complete at the crash site, the focus shifts to the hostel’s ruins, where uncertainty lingers over those trapped. Air India’s helpline (1800-569-1444) supports families, while the nation honors these heroes’ relentless fight. What secrets will the wreckage yield, and can these heroes bring solace to a grieving world?
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