Air India plane crash: 241 die in worst air crash, one survives through the impossible | Key points

All but one passenger were killed when an Air India plane bound for London crashed moments after taking off from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, on Thursday, in the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. The airline said in a statement that of the 242 aboard, there are 241 confirmed fatalities. "The sole survivor is being treated in a hospital," it said.

Here's all the key things you must know about the Air India Ahmedabad crash:

1. The Air India flight AI-171 from Ahmedabad to London was Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. It was headed for Gatwick Airport, south of the British capital, from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The aircraft was under the command of Capt Sumeet Sabharwal with First Officer Clive Kundar.
2. The passengers oboard comprised 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, 7 Portuguese nationals and 1 Canadian national. Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was among the deceased.
3. The sole survivor of the crash is a British national of Indian origin and is being treated in a hospital, the airline confirmed. The surviving passenger — Ramesh Viswashkumar — was in seat 11A, next to an emergency exit. The man told Indian media how he had heard a loud noise shortly after Flight AI171 took off.
4. According to news agency ANI, the Boeing 787-8 aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 1:39 pm IST with 242 people on board, including crew. It made a ‘Mayday call’ to ATC. But the aircraft did not respond to the calls. Immediately after departure from Runway 23, the aircraft fell on the ground outside the airport perimeter.
5. CCTV footage showed the plane taking off over a residential area and then disappearing from the screen before a huge fireball could be seen rising into the sky from beyond the houses. The 11-year-old aircraft could be seen from miles away, losing altitude rapidly and combusting in a fiery blaze that sent plumes of thick black smoke spiralling up in the air.
6. The twin-engine plane had reached an altitude of 625 feet (190.5 meters) at a speed of 174 knots, or about 200 miles per hour, according to data from Flightradar24.
7. Part of the plane crashed into a medical college (of the BJ Medical College and civil hospital) hostel during lunch hour. Three buildings bore the brunt of the impact, including a mess hall where several MBBS students were dining when the aircraft came down, news agency PTI reported.
8. At least five MBBS students, one PG resident doctor and the wife of a superspecialist doctor of the BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad were killed and over 60 medical students injured when an Air India plane crashed into the college complex, the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) claimed.
9. Actor Vikrant Massey lost his cousin, Clive Kunder, in the tragic Air India plane crash that occurred on Thursday afternoon. In an Instagram post, Vikrant offered condolences to the victims and their families, revealing Clive was the first officer on "that fateful" AI171 flight, which crashed minutes after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.
10. Reports said the government will set up a high-level multi-disciplinary committee to strengthen aviation safety in the wake of the Air India plane crash. Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan said on Thursday a formal investigation has been initiated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), in line with international protocols set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

"Additionally, the government is constituting a high-level committee comprising experts from multiple disciplines to examine the matter in detail. "The committee will work to strengthen aviation safety and prevent such incidents in future," Naidu, who visited the crash site, said in a post on X.

(With inputs from agencies)