Ahmedabad, June 12 (IANS) A tragedy unfolded in Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon as Air India Flight AI-171, bound for London’s Gatwick Airport, crashed just minutes after takeoff from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, prompting the temporary shutdown of all flight operations at the airport.

The horror was amplified by stories from survivors and their families. Ramila, a local resident, tearfully recounted how her son narrowly escaped death. “My son had gone to the hostel for lunch. I thought I had lost him. But by God’s grace, he jumped from the second floor and survived with only minor injuries,” she said.

Several eyewitnesses claimed that people jumped from upper floors to escape the fire.

Rescue personnel reported that the black box of the aircraft has been recovered and will be crucial in determining the exact cause of the crash. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members, took off at 1:38 PM from runway 23.

Merely two minutes into the ascent, at around 1.40 p.m., the aircraft lost altitude and crashed into a medical college hostel building in the Meghani Nagar area, sparking a massive fire and widespread panic in the locality.

The crash site was engulfed in thick black smoke, visible from kilometers away. Upon receiving news of the crash, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel rushed from Surat to Asarwa Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad, where many injured passengers were taken. Expressing sorrow over the incident, CM Patel described the crash as “deeply unfortunate and heartbreaking”, and ordered all concerned departments to carry out rescue and relief operations on war footing.

The CM also directed the establishment of green corridors for the immediate transfer of the injured to hospitals and ensured that emergency medical arrangements be prioritised across the city’s medical facilities.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a telephonic conversation with CM Patel and assured full support by the Central government. Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were mobilised immediately and joined local authorities in the ongoing rescue and evacuation efforts.

Preliminary reports indicate that a technical malfunction involving tire retraction failure during takeoff may have caused the crash. Sources suggest that after the aircraft’s tires failed to retract properly, it collided with a building near the airport.

The impact broke the aircraft’s tail section into two pieces. The aircraft continued forward and crashed into the Atulyam building, a multi-storey structure housing intern doctors of a nearby medical college.

The wing of the aircraft struck the third, fourth, and fifth floors of the hostel, causing extensive structural damage. The building is now at risk of collapse. Dozens of residents were inside at the time of the crash.

The Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport remains closed for all operations until further notice, and flights have been diverted or canceled. This is among India’s worst aviation disasters in recent years, with multiple nationalities aboard the aircraft, including British, Portuguese, and Canadian citizens, besides a majority of Indian passengers.

In the wake of the crash, the Gujarat government has set up a control room at the State Emergency Operation Centre.

Citizens and relatives of passengers can reach the center via phone: 079-232-51900 or mobile: 9978405304.

Additionally, Ahmedabad Civil Hospital has released two emergency numbers – 6357373831 and 6357373841 – for inquiries related to patient care and trauma center assistance.

–IANS

janvi/pgh