India has ordered all Boeing 787s being operated by local carriers to be inspected

Hundreds gathered in Mumbai today to honour Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, the Air India pilot who has been hailed as a hero for limiting casualties on the ground during last week’s crash.

Captain Sabharwal issued a mayday call to air traffic controllers moments after takeoff and residents on the ground have credited him with avoiding a large residential building that was directly on the flight path.

Investigators have recovered flight AI171’s cockpit voice recorder and will analyse the pilots’ final words to help determine the cause of the crash that killed more than 270, 241 of whom were passengers and crew

An “extremely rare” loss of power from both engines is increasingly being seen as the most probable cause of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner’s sudden descent.

Meanwhile, at least three Air India flights have been grounded or cancelled in the past 48 hours as India’s civil aviation authority ordered urgent pre-flight checks across Boeing 787 aircraft in the country.

Families in India with concerns can call Air India on 1800 5691 444. Those outside India can call the British Foreign Office on 020 7008 5000.

‘Like an earthquake’: Inside the doctors’ hostel hit in Air India tragedy

Navin Chaudhary’s lunch was interrupted by a deafening explosion. Turning, he saw flames engulfing the dining area where he and his fellow trainee doctors were eating.

As the fire advanced, Mr Chaudhary escaped through a window. From the ground, he saw the tail cone of an Air India plane jutting out of the burning building.

Driven by a sense of duty, Mr Chaudhary and his fellow medical students sprang into action.

‘Like an earthquake’: Inside the medical hostel hit in Air India tragedy

After escaping their burning building, trainee doctors returned to help the wounded

Tom Watling16 June 2025 14:28

1 day ago

UK student missed doomed Air India flight by minutes: ‘It’s a miracle’

A student has described the “miracle” of missing the Air India flight that crashed, killing 241 people on board.

Bhoomi Chauhan, 28, said she was angry and frustrated after a traffic jam on the way to the airport meant she missed boarding the flight by just ten minutes.

Ms Chauhan, a business administration student who lives in Bristol, said she was turned away by airport staff.

UK student missed doomed Air India flight by minutes: ‘It’s a miracle’

The 28-year-old, who lives in Bristol, said she felt ‘totally numb’ after finding out the flight had crashed, killing 241 people

Tom Watling16 June 2025 14:00

1 day ago

Brit avoids Air India disaster after changing flight plans

A 31-year-old Briton who had originally planned to take the Air India flight that crashed last week has spoken of his “shock” and “gratitude” for delaying his journey home.

Owen Jackson, from Saffron Walden in Essex, had been in India on a work trip and was due to fly back on last Thursday’s flight, before his work asked him to stay until Saturday instead.

He had been due to fly on seat 11A, the same seat in which the only survivor of the crash, Brit Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, had been sitting.

Mr Jackson told The Sun: “It’s a shock. I’m more grateful than anything else – it is such a weird coincidence.

“You hear it every now and again about planes going down and you don’t really think much of it, but when it’s the actual aircraft you’re potentially getting on two days later, it does make you think.

“My main emotion on the whole thing is I’m quite grateful for the fact that I made that decision when I did.”

Tom Watling16 June 2025 13:31

1 day ago

‘My grandson was burnt alive’: Grief engulfs neighbourhood where Air India crash killed dozens on the ground

Grief hangs heavy in Meghani Nagar in Ahmedabad, as the wreckage of a London‑bound Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner lies smouldering in the compound of BJ Medical College.

The devastating crash – which took place around 2pm local time on Thursday – left emergency services scrambling amid thick plumes of smoke and debris, entire streets in shock and families shattered. All but one of the 242 people on board the flight were killed, but there were dozens more fatalities on the ground as the plane came down in a residential area.

Grief engulfs neighbourhood where Air India Flight 171 killed dozens on the ground

As investigators sift through the wreckage of the Air India Dreamliner that plunged into a medical college complex in Ahmedabad, families mourn loved ones lost in an inferno, reports Namita Singh

Tom Watling16 June 2025 13:00

1 day ago

Who were the Brits on board the Air India flight?

There were 53 Britons aboard the Air India flight heading to Gatwick last Thursday when it crashed.

The only survivor, out of 242 passengers and crew, was a British man, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh.

Among those Britons confirmed dead are businessman Akeel Nanabawa, his wife, Hannaa Vorajee, and their four-year-old daughter Sara, according to the Gloucester Muslim community.

Fiongal and Jamie Greenlaw-Meek, who ran the Wellness Foundry in south London and Ramsgate, were also killed.

Adam Taju, 72, and his wife, Hasina, 70, were also on board, along with their son-in-law, Altafhusen Patel, 51, who lived in London with his wife.

Javed Ali Syed, a hotel manager at the Best Western Kensington Olympia Hotel, and his wife, Mariam, were also reportedly among the victims.

The British victims of Air India plane crash

Tom Watling16 June 2025 12:31

1 day ago

Four dead after dozens swept away in bridge collapse in India

At least four people died after a bridge on a river collapsed in a popular tourist destination in India’s western city of Pune.

The 33-year-old iron bridge over the Indrayani river collapsed on Sunday afternoon around 3.30pm (local time) when about 125 tourists had gathered.

More than 50 people, who sustained injuries after being swept away in the river, were rescued and rushed to the hospital for treatment.

Four dead after dozens swept away in bridge collapse in India

Locals say tourists ignored warning signboard at ‘popular selfie spot’

Tom Watling16 June 2025 12:05

1 day ago

Astonishing footage appears to show the moment Air India survivor walks away from crash

Astonishing footage has appeared to show the moment the sole survivor of the Air India crash walks away from the burning wreckage.

The video, published by The Sun, shows the plane engulfed in a huge fireball and several nearby civilians watching as the scene unfolds.

The sole survivor, Brit Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, then appears on the phone, walking away from the wreckage.

Mr Ramesh was taken to the hospital but miraculously only suffered minor injuries.

Pilot of Air India flight hailed as hero

The pilot of the fatal Air India flight has been hailed a hero for navigating the plane onto a patch of grass in the seconds before it crashed in Ahmedabad, narrowly avoiding a three-storey apartment block.

Captain Sabharwal, 55, the son of an officer with India’s civil aviation authority, was an experienced aviator with 8,200 hours of flying time.

Residents of an apartment block that narrowly missed being hit by the Air India plane have praised the late captain for saving their lives.

Geeta Patni, 48, who was one of the closest residents to the crash site, told The Sun: “The building was shaking. We were so scared. There was chaos in the street and fire and smoke.

“Any closer and we would have died. The pilot saved us.”

Another resident, Jahanvi Rajput, 28, said: “Thanks to the pilot Captain Sabharwal, we survived. He’s a hero. It is because of him we are alive.”

Chancal Bai, 50, said: “If the plane had crashed into this residential area, there would have been hundreds more victims.”

Tom Watling16 June 2025 11:26

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Air India crash sole survivor recalls how he escaped plane

Air India crash sole survivor recalls how he escaped plane

Tom Watling16 June 2025 11:13

Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner flight forced to turn back with technical issue – days after Ahmedabad disaster

A Delhi-bound Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner flight was forced to turn back to Hong Kong on Monday after the pilot reported technical issues mid-air.

The Air India flight AI 315 departed from the Asian city at 11.59 am local time for its scheduled destination in New Delhi. It reached an altitude of 22,000 feet, and then started descending, according to the flight tracking website AirNav Radar. The plane was 7 years old. Officials said the aircraft landed safely back in Hong Kong around 3.20 pm local time.

AI315 “returned to Hong Kong shortly after take-off due to a technical issue. The flight landed safely … and is undergoing checks as a matter of abundant precaution,” Air India said in a statement.

Air India flight forced to return to Hong Kong after mid-air technical issue

Officials said the nature of the technical issue is not immediately clear