King Charles has extended his ‘deepest possibly sympathy’ to the grieving families of the victims of this morning’s ‘appallingly tragic’ Air India crash that claimed the lives of 242 passengers, including 53 Britons.
In a joint statement posted on the Royal Family‘s social media accounts, King Charles said he and Queen Camilla were ‘desperately shocked’ by news of the crash while paying tribute to the rescue teams in the capital city of Gujarat.
‘My wife and I have been desperately shocked by the terrible events in Ahmedabad this morning,’ the statement read.
‘Our special prayers and deepest possible sympathy are with the families and friends of all those affected by this appallingly tragic incident across so many nations, as they await news of their loved ones.
‘I would like to pay a particular tribute to the heroic efforts of the emergency services and all those providing help and support at this most heartbreaking and traumatic time.’
The Gatwick-bound flight, from Ahmedabad to London, crashed shortly after takeoff around 1.40pm local time (08.10 GMT).
Horrifying videos showed Air India’s Flight 171 – a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner – rapidly losing altitude – with its nose up – before it hit a medical college building and exploded into flames.
King Charles has extended his ‘deepest possibly sympathy’ to the grieving families of the victims of this morning’s ‘appallingly tragic’ Air India crash that claimed the lives of 242 passengers
The Gatwick-bound flight, from Ahmedabad to London, crashed shortly after takeoff around 1.40pm local time (08.10 GMT)
The passengers included 169 Indian nationals, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and a Canadian. Eleven of those on board were children, including two newborns.
Two pilots and 10 cabin crew were also aboard.
Police earlier this morning confirmed ‘there are no survivors’ as rescue teams on ground continued their desperate search for victims.
Regional police chief G.S. Malik noting ‘some locals would also have died’ after the ill-fated aircraft crashed into the BJ Medical College and Civil Hospital.
The number of fatalities is not yet known but rescuers said at least 30 bodies have so far been recovered from a building.
Describing horrific scenes on the ground, one resident said: ‘We saw people from the building jumping from the second and third floor to save themselves. The plane was in flames.
‘We helped people get out of the building and sent the injured to the hospital.’
Aviation experts say that the plane may have suddenly lost power ‘at the most critical phase of flight’ after takeoff.
A message from King Charles in the wake of the tragic AIr India crash that claimed the lives of at least 242 passengers, as rescue teams on-ground continue desperate search for victims after the plane hit a medical college building
The possible causes are believed to include a rapid change in wind, bird strike or weather, with an investigation yet to uncover what caused Flight 171 to crash shortly after departing Ahmedabad Airport in Gujarat this morning.
Lt. Col. John R. Davidson (Ret.), former U.S. Air Force pilot and editor of Felons Assistance and commercial aviation safety consultant, said that, based on preliminary flight tracking data, the plane appeared to have reached takeoff speed but not altitude, suggesting ‘either a very late rotation or a stall shortly after takeoff’.
‘There are a number of possible scenarios: thrust or engine performance issues, excessive aircraft weight, poor trim or flap configuration, or a more critical failure that affected the aircraft’s ability to climb,’ he said.
‘Weather, windshear or even bird strike can’t be ruled out either at this early stage.’
Captain Saurabh Bhatnagar, a former senior pilot, told local outlet NDTV that circulating footage showing the plane’s terrifying descent ‘looked like a case of multiple bird hits wherein both the engines have lost power’.
‘The takeoff was perfect,’ he said. ‘And just, I believe, short of taking the gear up, the aircraft started descending, which can happen only in case the engine loses power or the aircraft stops developing lift.’
Aviation expert Sanjay Lazar noted that the Flight 171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, was only 11 years old, so was unlikely to have underlying technical issues. The plane was under the command of captain Summeet Sabharwal, who had 8,200 hours of experience.
The plane momentarily disappeared from view behind trees and buildings before a massive fireball erupted on the horizon in this horrifying clip
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
The tail of the jet is seen protruding from a building in the Meghani area of the city
Rescue team members work as smoke rises at the site in Ahmedabad, India, June 12, 2025
A bird strike ‘would explain why the aircraft did not have the power to lift,’ he said. ‘If there were multiple bird hits on take-off, it probably could not have gone beyond the 6-7 minute threshold and started falling.’
In pilots’ forums, aviation experts said that it sounded like the plane’s Ram Air Turbine (RAT), an emergency wind turbine, had been deployed shortly before the crash.
Authorities are expected to begin recovery and investigation procedures, and an official cause of the crash is yet to be confirmed. Preliminary flight tracking data from flightradar24 reveals the plane reached an altitude of just 625ft after takeoff – a height far below standard for a commercial aircraft several minutes into departure.
Air India flight 171 careened back to earth in the densely populated Meghani area of the city just minutes after leaving the runway around 1pm local time.
Shocking images shared to social media showed chunks of the plane’s fuselage and tail protruding from a demolished building.
Parts of the jet smashed into accommodation for doctors practising at the BJ Medical College and Civil Hospital.
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.
‘The building on which it has crashed is a doctors’ hostel… we have cleared almost 70% to 80% of the area and will clear the rest soon,’ a senior police officer told reporters at the scene.
Parts of the jet appeared to have smashed into the BJ Medical College and Civil Hospital
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
People look at the debris of an Air India plane crashed in Ahmedabad of India’s Gujarat state
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
Firefighters doused the smouldering piles of debris with their hoses as photos and videos taken by horrified residents in Meghani showed a huge plume of thick black smoke emanating from the crash site.
‘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.
The cause of the tragedy is not yet known, but footage appeared to show the plane descending in a controlled manner with a high nose angle and landing gear deployed.
It momentarily disappeared from view behind trees and buildings before a massive fireball erupted on the horizon. The jet was fuelled for a long-haul flight direct to Gatwick, intensifying the blast.
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.
‘The building on which it has crashed is a doctors’ hostel… we have cleared almost 70% to 80% of the area and will clear the rest soon,’ a senior police officer told reporters at the scene.
