The owners of Air India have revealed how much they will pay the families for each person who died in the Ahmedabad plane crash tragedy.
Tata Sons, which owns Air India, will offer around £86,000 – or 10 million rupees – to the families of those who were killed after the Boeing 787 plane destined for London Gatwick crashed just minutes after take off.
Authorities previously said they feared all of the 242 people onboard, made up of passengers and crew, had died after the plane crash-landed and burst into flames after smashing into offices and a doctors’ hostel.
But miraculous footage has since emerged of one survivor, believed to be British, named as 40-year-old Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, walking away from the wreckage.
So far, rescue teams supported by the military have recovered 290 bodies, with casualties from the plane and the area surrounding the crash.
The passengers included 159 Indian nationals, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and a Canadian. Eleven of those on board were children, including two newborns. In total there were 130 passengers, two pilots and ten crew members on the plane.
Aviation experts say that Air India Flight 171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, may have suddenly lost power ‘at the most critical phase of flight’ after takeoff.
The possible causes are believed to include a rapid change in wind or a bird strike leading to a double engine stall.
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A video posted to social media appeared to show the plane descending in a controlled manner with a high nose angle and landing gear deployed
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The cause of the crash is not yet known. Emergency services rushed to the scene to try and rescue any survivors
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Chunks of the plane’s fuselage and tail were seen protruding from a demolished building
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Some six hours after the crash Tata Group, the parent company of Air India, said it would also cover the medical costs of those injured and provide support in the ‘building up’ of the medical college the plane crashed into.
In a statement a spokesperson said: ‘We are deeply anguished by the tragic event involving Air India Flight 171.
‘No words can adequately express the grief we feel at this moment. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families who have lost their loved ones, and with those who have been injured.
‘Tata Group will provide ₹1 crore to the families of each person who has lost their life in this tragedy. We will also cover the medical expenses of those injured and ensure that they receive all necessary care and support.
‘Additionally, we will provide support in the building up of the B J Medical’s hostel. We remain steadfast in standing with the affected families and communities during this unimaginable time.’
Air India has also announced it is organising two relief flights to Ahmedabad for families of the passengers involved in the plane crash and airline staff.
The airline is sending return flights from Delhi and Mumbai that will arrive at 11pm local time and depart shortly after 1am on Friday.
The airline said: ‘Next of kin of passengers and staff in Delhi and Mumbai wanting to travel on these flights can call our hotline on 1800 5691 444.
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Debris is seen at the site where Air India flight 171 crashed in a residential area near the airport in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025
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Emergency personnel work at the crash site of an Air India plane in Ahmedabad, India, June 12, 2025
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Rescuers work at the site of an airplane that crashed in India’s northwestern city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat state, Thursday, June12, 2025
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Civilians surround parts of the jet that seemingly smashed into a medical college canteen
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Debris at the site of a plane crash near Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, western India
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The plane momentarily disappeared from view behind trees and buildings before a massive fireball erupted on the horizon in this horrifying clip
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The number of fatalities is not yet known but rescuers said at least 30 bodies have so far been recovered from a building
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People look at the debris of an Air India plane crashed in Ahmedabad of India’s Gujarat state
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Rescue team members work as smoke rises at the site in Ahmedabad, India, June 12, 2025
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A family member cries upon hearing the news of her brother who died when the Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane crashed in Ahmedabad, India, June 12, 2025
‘Additionally, those coming in from international destinations and wanting to travel can call our hotline on +91 8062779200.’
A video of the incident circulating online shows the Air India aircraft flying over a residential area before crashing, creating what appears to be a huge fireball followed by large plumes of black smoke.
The nose of the plane was up as it descended rapidly, and its landing gear appeared to be deployed.
Images of the aftermath of the crash showed parts of the plane embedded into a residential building as firefighters continued to tackle the smoke.
Pieces of the aircraft’s landing gear, fuselage and tail could all be seen protruding from the building.
Officials now face the challenging task of recovering the aircraft’s black box and piecing together what happened in the moments before the crash.
The King said he was ‘desperately shocked’ by the incident and Buckingham Palace said he was being kept updated on the developing situation.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the crash was ‘devastating’, while his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi said it was ‘heartbreaking beyond words’.
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Remnants of the fuselage and the landing gear were seen dangling through a gaping hole in the side of what appeared to be a canteen, with half-finished plates of food clearly visible on benches inside
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Parts of the jet appeared to have smashed into the BJ Medical College and Civil Hospital
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Rescuers work at the site of an airplane that crashed in India’s northwestern city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat state, Thursday, June 12, 2025
Air India chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran described the incident as a ‘tragic accident’ and a ‘devastating event’, and said emergency response teams are at the site.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has stood up a crisis team in India and the UK, Foreign Secretary David Lammy said.
The Reuters news agency reported 217 adults and 11 children were on board the flight.
So far only one survivor has been identified, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh who was seated in seat 11A.
The passenger, who was in his seat when the plane came down in a residential area, recalled: ‘Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly.’
‘When I got up, there were bodies all around me,’ he told local media. ‘I was scared. I stood up and ran.
‘There were pieces of the plane all around me. Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital.’
Mr Ramesh, who has lived in London for 20 years, said his brother was seated in a different aisle on the same flight.
Astonishing footage showed the passenger walking away from the scene with some visible injuries to his face.
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Astonishing footage showed the man walking away from the scene with some visible injuries to his face
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Authorities had said earlier they believed there were no survivors on the Gatwick-bound flight that crashed in Gujarat carrying 242 passengers, including 53 Britons
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Police said they had found a lone survivor who had been sitting in seat 11A when Flight 171 crashed shortly after takeoff in India this morning
Gatwick said a reception centre was being set up for relatives of passengers on board the Air India flight.
The Boeing jet crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad Airport in Gujarat at around 1:40pm (0810 GMT), officials said.
India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation said the plane sent a mayday call moments before the tragedy unfolded.
Ahmedabad, the main city of India’s Gujarat state, is home to around eight million people, and the busy airport is surrounded by densely packed residential areas.
‘When we reached the spot there were several bodies lying around and firefighters were dousing the flames,’ resident Poonam Patni said.
‘Many of the bodies were burned,’ she added.
‘Our office is near the building where the plane crashed. We saw people from the building jumping from the second and third floor to save themselves. The plane was in flames,’ said one resident, who declined to be named.
It is the first crash involving a Boeing 787 aircraft, according to the Aviation Safety Network database.
Flightradar24 said flight tracking data shows after taking off, the plane reached a maximum altitude of 625ft, which is about 425ft above the airport.
It then started to descend at a rate of 475 feet per minute.
Air India was acquired by Tata Group from the Indian government in January 2022 after racking up billions of pounds of losses.
The airline’s UK operations are at Birmingham, Gatwick and Heathrow, with routes to a number of Indian cities such as Ahmedabad, Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
It started operating flights to Gatwick in March 2023, with 12 weekly departures and five weekly departures to Ahmedabad.
Gatwick said there was no impact on wider flight operations at the airport, but a Thursday evening flight to Goa had been cancelled.
Recent analysis by the PA news agency found it was the worst airline for delays to flights from UK airports last year, with planes taking off by an average of more than 45 minutes later than scheduled.
The airline has gained a poor reputation for delays and cancellations in recent years, partly caused by a lack of funds to purchase spare aircraft parts, which led to some of its fleet being grounded.
The first flight of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft involved in the crash was in December 2013.
The plane was delivered to Air India during the following month.
The FCDO said any British nationals requiring consular assistance, or who have concerns about family or friends, should call 020 7008 5000.
