US President Donald Trump has expressed deep sorrow over the deadly plane crash near Ahmedabad, Gujarat, calling it “terrible and horrific,” and offered immediate assistance to India in the aftermath of what he described as “one of the worst in aviation history.”
While addressing a Bill Signing Ceremony on Thursday, President Trump extended condolences and solidarity with India, stating, “The plane crash was terrible. I’ve already told them, anything that we can do—we will be over there immediately. It was a horrific crash. It looks like most are gone, maybe a couple of survivors… It didn’t look like an explosion; maybe the engines lost power.”
The incident involved an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, flight AI171, which was en route to London Gatwick with 242 people onboard, including 12 crew members. The aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport around 1:38 PM IST on Thursday. It reportedly slammed into a doctors’ hostel located near the airport perimeter.
Ahmedabad Joint Commissioner of Police Jaipal Singh Rathore confirmed that the aircraft crashed into a residential building shortly after departure. Rescue operations are ongoing, with one survivor identified from seat 11A, currently receiving treatment at a local hospital. Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik noted that the final death toll remains unclear as many passengers are feared dead.
According to Air India, the flight carried 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian passenger. “The injured are being taken to the nearest hospitals. We have also set up a dedicated passenger hotline: 1800 5691 444,” the airline said in an official statement.
The flight was commanded by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kundar. It had taken off from Runway 23 but issued a Mayday call shortly after. No further communication was received after the distress signal. Eyewitnesses reported seeing heavy black smoke rising from the crash site.
The Gujarat government has deployed three National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, comprising 90 personnel, to lead the search and rescue operations. The Ahmedabad City Police has also released a helpline number—07925620359—for assistance and information related to the tragedy.
Investigations into the cause of the crash are underway.
