Lunchtime horror: How Air India flight delay spared many at BJ Medical College hostel

Credit: @KhongsaiChanu / X

A London-bound Air India flight carrying 242 people crashed into a student hostel at Ahmedabad’s BJ Medical College shortly after take-off on Thursday, leaving a trail of devastation both in the air and on the ground. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, operating as flight AI171, had just departed Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1.38 pm when it issued a Mayday call and disappeared from radar, crashing into the densely populated Meghani Nagar area within minutes.

The aircraft struck the doctors’ residential quarters of the government-run medical college while students were midway through lunch. Haunting images from the crash site show plates of food left untouched on hostel tables, a stark reminder of the suddenness with which lives were upended. The impact and subsequent explosion turned the sky orange, sending thick black smoke billowing above the city and leaving the compound resembling a war zone.

According to TOI, the nose of flight AI171 struck Atulyam-11, the residential quarters designated for undergraduate and postgraduate doctors at BJ Medical College. The aircraft’s midsection broke apart over a garden and road, while the tail section tore through the doctors’ mess. The scale of the tragedy could have been even greater; the flight’s delayed departure, 29 minutes behind schedule, meant that a large group of doctors had just finished their lunch and left the mess moments before the crash.

Authorities have confirmed that 241 people on board perished, with only one British passenger surviving and currently hospitalised. Among the dead were 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian.

The crash also claimed lives on the ground. According to PTI, the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) said that at least five MBBS students, one PG resident doctor and the wife of a superspecialist doctor from BJ Medical College were also killed. Over 60 medical students were injured. Dozens more students and residents are reportedly injured or missing. Rescue operations continued late into the night, with emergency services battling flames and searching for survivors in the debris.

Eyewitnesses described hearing a massive explosion and seeing the hostel buildings collapse. A second-year MBBS student was quoted by HT, “I was having food with my friends when I heard a loud blast like a crash. Next, I realised that the roof had collapsed and I lay buried underneath. My eyes were closed and I was having difficulty breathing. I thought I would become unconscious but I did not. After about half an hour, I saw that people were moving the debris over me and soon I was rescued.” The tail cone of the aircraft was found lodged atop the hostel building and the area was strewn with charred bodies and debris.

The tragedy has drawn condolences from leaders across India and the world. Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X, “The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. It is heartbreaking beyond words. In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it. Have been in touch with Ministers and authorities who are working to assist those affected”.

Home Minister Amit Shah, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel visited the crash site and hospitals, pledging all possible support to victims and families. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and King Charles III also expressed their shock and condolences, acknowledging the many British citizens lost in the disaster.

Air India has blacked out its social media profile pictures in mourning and stated it is fully cooperating with investigators. According to media reports, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) have launched a formal probe, with technical teams from Boeing, the UK and the US National Transportation Safety Board joining the investigation. The cause of the crash remains unknown, but experts have cited possible engine failure or a bird strike as factors under consideration. The aircraft was reportedly heavily fuelled for its international journey, which intensified the post-crash fire and hampered rescue efforts.

The crash has left families and communities grieving across continents. The BBC confirmed the deaths of several British families, including the Nanabawa family from Gloucester and Adam and Hasina Taju from London, among others. Local residents and students have been left traumatised, with the BJ Medical College hostel compound bearing the scars of the disaster - burnt trees, collapsed buildings and the lingering smell of aviation fuel.