Ahmedabad Plane Crash: All 242 people on board the aircraft have died; among the deceased are a former Chief Minister and a Malayali nurse.

Ahmedabad: The death toll in the plane crash that shocked Ahmedabad, Gujarat, has risen to 242. Police officials confirmed that there were no survivors. The aircraft crashed into a nearby medical college hostel building shortly after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.

All 242 people on board, including the cabin crew, were killed. Among the deceased were former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Ranjitha Gopakumar, a native of Pullad in Tiruvalla, Pathanamthitta, who was working as a nurse in London. The victims included 169 Indians, 53 British nationals, 7 Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian citizen.

The crash occurred around 1:38 PM. Air India flight AI 171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner bound for London, had just taken off from Runway 23 of the Ahmedabad airport. When the aircraft reached an altitude of 625 feet, a distress signal was sent to the air traffic control tower. However, attempts to re-establish communication failed, and within moments, the plane crashed.

The aircraft crashed into the hostel building of BJ Medical College. Reports say five people in the hostel were killed and 20 others sustained serious injuries. As it was lunchtime, many students were in the dining hall, which is believed to have limited the scale of casualties. A section of the hostel building was completely destroyed.

Firefighters, police, and NDRF teams rushed to the scene immediately after the crash, but heavy fire and smoke initially hindered rescue operations. The bodies have been taken to the Civil Hospital and nearby facilities. A detailed investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the crash.