Eyewitness Recounts Air India Crash Horror: “Dead Bodies and Debris All Over”

Eyewitness Recounts Air India Crash Horror: An Air India flight and its 242 passengers and crew crashed on Thursday afternoon, shortly after taking off from the airport in Ahmedabad.

According to Air India, the flight – AI171 – was going from Ahmedabad to London's Gatwick airport. Among the passengers on the flight, there were 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, 1 Canadian national and 7 Portuguese nationals.

Also Read: Ahmedabad Plane Crash LIVE Updates: More Than 30 Bodies Reportedly Recovered So Far

As Hindustan Times reported, the aircraft departed from Ahmedabad airport at 1:39pm from runway 23 and mere moments later, the aircraft made a MAYDAY call to the air traffic controllers.

An eyewitness on the ground relayed the horrors of the plane crash, stating that dead bodies were laying about and debris was everywhere.

“I was at home when we heard a massive sound. When we went out to see what had happened, there was a layer of thick smoke in the air,” the eyewitness told PTI. "When we came here, dead bodies and debris from the crashed aircraft were scattered all over."

Another eyewitness stated that the plane hit the building which held the hostel, where her son was located.

“My son had gone to the hostel during lunch break, and the plane crashed there. My son is safe, and I have spoken to him,” Ramila told ANI. "He jumped from the second floor, so he suffered some injuries.”

Also Read: PM Modi Reacts to Air India Plane Crash: ‘Heartbreaking Beyond Words’

Meanwhile, civil aviation ministor Ram Mohan Naidu has arrived Ahmedabad after being in Vijayawada. The Indian PM, Narendra Modi, later called the minister and took stock of the situation of the Air India flight and crash which occurred in Ahmedabad.

The PM has directed the ministor and stated that all necessary support should be extended immediately and that updates should be provided regularly. All concerned agencies are on alert and coordinating efforts are being made, Naidu's office stated.

According to the Air India Injured has been taken to the nearest hospitals.

“The injured are being taken to the nearest hospitals. We have also set up a dedicated passenger hotline number 1800 5691 444 to provide more information,” the airlines said in a post on X. “Air India is giving its full cooperation to the authorities investigating this incident.”

Also Read: ‘Mayday’ Call, No Response, Then Crash: Timeline of Ahmedabad Air India Tragedy