Indian police have confirmed that the number of people killed in the tragic Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad has now reached 279. This follows the discovery of more bodies among the wreckage of homes and buildings in the residential area where the aircraft went down.
The accident occurred on June 12, 2025, when Air India flight 171, en route to London’s Gatwick Airport, crashed shortly after takeoff.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner reportedly failed to gain proper altitude and hit several buildings near the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. Authorities said the aircraft had barely reached 100 meters in the air before it lost control.
Local officials said that 242 people were on board, and only one person survived the crash. Tragically, the crash also claimed the lives of at least 38 people on the ground. Many of those buildings were homes to medical professionals and their families. Police and rescue teams have continued searching the rubble for any remaining victims.
One senior officer from Ahmedabad, who asked not to be named, said the death toll had risen from an earlier count of 265. He noted that the total number could change again, depending on the results of ongoing DNA tests used to identify bodies. Some victims have not yet been formally identified because of the severity of the crash and the condition of the remains.
The passengers included 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, seven Portuguese, one Canadian, and 12 crew members, according to Air India. Investigators recovered one of the plane’s black boxes on June 13 and are still searching for the second flight recorder to better understand what went wrong.
