A disturbing new video has surfaced from the site of the June 12 Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, capturing the harrowing moments when students from BJ Medical College were seen jumping out of their hostel building to escape the raging fire and smoke caused by the aircraft’s impact.
The London-bound Air India flight AI-171, carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members, crashed shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The aircraft lost altitude within 50 seconds of takeoff and slammed into the BJ Medical College campus in the city’s Meghaninagar area, triggering a massive fireball and thick smoke that engulfed the hostel complex.
The newly emerged footage shows terrified students trying to flee the blaze. Thick plumes of black smoke billow beside the hostel building as students can be seen climbing out of windows, using makeshift cloth ropes to lower themselves to safety. Some are seen helping each other down, while others take refuge in nearby trees, watching helplessly as the plane burns in the background.
The crash killed 274 people — 241 on board and 33 on the ground. Among the ground fatalities were at least five MBBS students who lived in the hostel struck by the aircraft. Officials said the scene of the crash was one of total devastation, with parts of the medical complex engulfed in flames.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is conducting a full investigation into the crash. Preliminary findings suggest that the pilot had issued a "Mayday" distress call seconds before the crash, reporting "no power, no thrust" before the aircraft lost contact with air traffic control.
Air India has since renumbered the route’s flight code from AI-171 to AI-159, citing standard protocol to avoid distress among passengers following a major aviation disaster.