- By Ajeet Kumar
- Thu, 12 Jun 2025 03:23 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
A London-bound Air India aircraft carrying 242 passengers crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad airport on Thursday, June 12. The incident took place near the Meghaninagar area in Ahmedabad. Visuals from the crash site showed a thick plume of grey smoke rising from the ground. Firefighters and emergency teams were dispatched immediately to begin rescue and containment efforts. Officials are yet to release information about possible injuries or the cause of the crash.
Meanwhile, Air India spokespersonhas confirmed that Flight AI171, operating Ahmedabad-London Gatwick, was involved in an incident. "At this moment, we are ascertaining the details and will share further updates at the earliest on http://airindia.com and on our X handle (https://x.com/airindia)," the airline wrote on the social media platform.
Authorities have urged the public to avoid the area as operations are still underway. Eyewitnesses reported heavy smoke rising from the crash site, which could be seen from several kilometres away, including parts of Vastrapur. The sudden incident caused alarm among local residents.
1. South Korea plane crash
The deadliest air accident ever in South Korea killed 179 people, when an airliner belly-landed and skidded off the end of the runway, erupting in a fireball as it slammed into a wall at Muan International Airport on December 30, 2024. Jeju Air flight 7C2216, arriving from the Thai capital Bangkok with 175 passengers and six crew on board, was trying to land shortly after 9 a.m. (0000 GMT) at the airport in the south of the country. wo crew members survived and were being treated for injuries.
(Jeju Air plane crash | REUTERS)
The deadliest air accident on South Korean soil was also the worst involving a South Korean airline in nearly three decades, the transport ministry said. The twin-engine Boeing 737-800 was seen in local media video skidding down the runway with no visible landing gear before crashing into navigation equipment and a wall in an explosion of flames and debris.
2. Air India Express Flight 812 crash Managalore
On May 22, 2010, Air India Express Flight 812 departed Dubai for Mangalore, India. The flight proceeded normally until its descent and approach to Mangalore. During the cruise, the captain slept for over an hour, leaving the first officer to handle navigation, systems monitoring, and communication with air traffic control. Cleared for landing, the aircraft overshot the runway, skidded off, and crashed into a ditch. Of the 166 passengers and crew, only eight survived the fiery wreckage. This disaster marked India’s third-deadliest domestic aviation tragedy.
(Air India plane crashed in India | CREDIT: PTI)
3. Nepal plane crash
A twin-engine ATR 72 aircraft carrying 72 people, operated by Nepal's Yeti Airlines, crashed in Pokhara, killing all on board on January 15, 2023. It was the worst air crash in the country since 1992 when all 167 people aboard a Pakistan International Airlines plane were killed when it ploughed into a hill as it tried to land in Kathmandu.
A Saurya Airlines plane that caught fire after skidding off the runway while taking off at Tribhuvan International Airport, in Kathmandu (CREDIT: REUTERS)
4. US plane crash
No survivors among the 64 people on the American Airlines regional jet preparing to land at Reagan National Airport or the three military personnel aboard a Black Hawk helicopter from a Virginia air base collided mid-air in January 31 this year. It was the deadliest US plane crash since 2001.
(Crews work to retrieve the wreckage of American Eagle flight 5342 in the Potomac River | CREDIT: REUTERS)
5. Malaysia Airlines crash
Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17): On July 17, 2014, a Boeing 777 was shot down over Ukraine while flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, killing all 298 on board. In 2022, a Dutch court sentenced Russian nationals Igor Girkin and Sergey Dubinsky, and Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko to life imprisonment for downing the plane and murdering everyone aboard.
6. Pakistan International Airlines crash
Pakistan International Airlines Flight PK 8303: In May 2020, an Airbus A320 crashed in Karachi during a second landing attempt, en route from Lahore. Of the 99 people on board, two survived, with no reported fatalities in the densely populated crash site area.
7. Air India bombing
Air India Flight 182: On June 23, 1985, a Boeing 747 exploded mid-air off Ireland’s coast due to a bomb in checked luggage, killing all 329 on board, including 268 Canadian citizens (mostly of Indian descent) and 24 Indians. Only 131 bodies were recovered from the sea.
8. Air France Flight crash
Air France Flight 447: On June 1, 2009, an Airbus A330 vanished over the Atlantic en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, killing all 228 aboard. In 2022, two French aviation companies faced involuntary manslaughter charges, which they denied during the trial from October to December.
9. Saudi Arabian Airlines crash
Charkhi Dadri Mid-Air Collision: On November 12, 1996, the deadliest mid-air collision occurred over Charkhi Dadri, India, killing 349 people. Saudi Arabian Airlines Flight SV763, a Boeing 747, collided with a Kazakhstan Airlines plane after departing Delhi en route to Saudi Arabia via Dhahran.
10. Turkish Airlines crash
On March 3, 1974, Turkish Airlines Flight 981, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10, crashed in France due to a design flaw in the cargo door, which burst open mid-flight. The disaster, the deadliest in European aviation history at the time, claimed 346 lives.