A catastrophic plane crash in India has claimed 241 lives after an Air India flight went down just 30 seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad Airport.

Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 bound for London, lost contact with air traffic control shortly after departure. The aircraft crashed into a student hostel near the airport, killing several people on the ground in addition to those onboard.

Of the 242 passengers and crew, only one person survived—40-year-old British citizen Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who is currently in the hospital. Among the dead were 169 Indian nationals, 53 British, 7 Portuguese, and 1 Canadian.

The plane’s pilots, Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kundar, issued a chilling mayday call moments before the crash:
“Mayday… no thrust, losing power, unable to lift.”

Captain Sabharwal had logged over 8,200 flight hours, while Kundar had 1,100.

This marks the first-ever crash involving a Boeing 787. Investigators are working to determine what went wrong.

Our hearts go out to the victims and their families during this tragic time.