Fifty-two Britons are confirmed to be among more than 240 people who died after a Gatwick Airport-bound plane crashed in a fireball in India.
Air India confirmed 241 of the 242 people on board the Boeing 787 Dreamliner were killed on Thursday when the aircraft crashed into a medical college shortly after its take-off from Ahmedabad Airport.
It is one of the deadliest plane crashes in terms of the number of British nationals killed.
UPDATE: Air India confirms that flight AI171, operating from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick on 12 June 2025, was involved in an accident.
— Air India (@airindia) June 12, 2025
The 12-year-old Boeing 787-8 aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 1338 hrs, carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew.
The aircraft crashed shortly…
One British man survived the crash, and his relatives said he had “no idea” how he escaped the aircraft.
In a statement Air India said: “The 12-year-old Boeing 787-8 aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 1338 hrs, carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew.
“The aircraft crashed shortly after take-off. We regret to inform that, of the 242 aboard, there are 241 confirmed fatalities.
“The sole survivor is being treated in a hospital. The passengers comprised 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, 7 Portuguese nationals and 1 Canadian national.
“The survivor is a British national of Indian origin.
“Air India offers its deepest condolences to the families of the deceased.
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, is believed to be the only survivor of the crash.
Speaking outside the family home in Leicester, his brother, Nayan Kumar Ramesh, 27, said: “We were just shocked as soon as we heard it.
“I last spoke to him yesterday morning. We’re devastated, just devastated.
“He said ‘I have no idea how I exited the plane’.”
Three Britons who died in the crash were named by the Gloucester Muslim Community on Facebook as Akeel Nanabawa, his wife Hannaa and their four-year-old daughter Sara.
