Nearly 300 Killed in the First-Ever Crash of a Boeing 787 Widebody

Authorities are reporting only one survivor of the more than 240 passengers and crew members on board Air India Flight 171, which crashed in a residential area on June 12. Many people on the ground became victims of the incident, bringing the death toll to almost 300.

The Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was scheduled to operate as AI 171 from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (AMB) to London Gatwick Airport (LGW). It took off at around 1:38 pm local time with 242 souls on board.

Just seconds after taking off, the twin-engine widebody began to lose altitude at a rate of around 425 feet per minute while in a nose-high pitch attitude. The pilot made a rapid “mayday” call to air traffic controllers before the aircraft impacted the ground, less than a mile from the runway.

The 787’s crash site was a residential area. Most of the plane reportedly landed in a hostel, which was home to several doctors and students who worked in the local hospital. Photos of the scene show the jet’s tail cone sticking out of a concrete building and thick smoke surrounding the wreckage.

Authorities previously reported that there were no survivors of the accident, though first responders later claimed that they had found a man climbing out of the debris. The passenger, 40-year-old Vidhi Chaudhary, had been sitting in seat 11A next to an emergency exit when the crash occurred.

"When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran. There were pieces of the plane all around me," Chaudhary told reporters. "Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital."

Current counts indicate that more than 290 people were killed in the accident, including at least 241 people from the aircraft and more on the ground. Air India noted that 169 were from India, 53 from Britain, 7 from Portugal, and 1 from Canada.

"With profound sorrow I confirm that Air India Flight 171 operating Ahmedabad London Gatwick was involved in a tragic accident today. Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of all those affected by this devastating event," expressed Air India Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran.

FMI: www.airindia.com