An Air India flight (AI 171) heading to London Gatwick crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad Airport on June 12, hitting a residential area in Meghani Nagar and colliding with a medical college dorm.

Authorities confirmed 242 people were on board: “169 are Indian nationals, 53 are British, 1 Canadian and 7 Portuguese nationals,” said Air India.

Initially believed to have no survivors, Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik later announced, “The police found one survivor in seat 11A… in the hospital and under treatment.” The survivor, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British-Indian, recounted: “When I got up, there were bodies all around me… Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance.”

Ramesh’s brother was also on the flight but seated in another row. The total number of deaths is still unknown, and authorities fear it may rise due to the crash site being a densely populated area.

Air India Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran said, “Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the families… We are doing everything in our power to assist emergency teams.” Tata Group has pledged to cover medical costs and compensate affected families.