Students Jump Out Windows for Their Lives as Plane Crashes into Hostel

A devastating crash rocked the city of Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon when an Air India Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner slammed into a medical college hostel just minutes after takeoff—leaving behind a trail of destruction, flames, and heartbreak.

The Gatwick-bound Flight AI-171 had only just lifted off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport around 1:30 p.m. when it suddenly appeared to lose power. Moments later, the massive aircraft nosedived into a residential area called Meghani Nagar, striking the five-story hostel at BJ Medical College and erupting into a fireball visible for miles.

More than 290 people are feared dead, including passengers, crew, and people on the ground. Officials say the final death toll could rise as rescue teams continue pulling bodies from the wreckage.

Inside the hostel, terrified students leapt from second and third-story windows to escape the inferno.

“My son had gone to the hostel during lunch break, and the plane crashed there,” said a mother named Rami, speaking to Indian news outlet ANI. “He’s alive, but he jumped from the second floor and was injured.”

Another eyewitness near the scene said, “People were jumping from the second and third floors to save themselves. The plane was in flames. It was horrifying.”

In the canteen, untouched plates of food were scattered across tables as students fled for their lives. Flames quickly engulfed the building and nearby trees while emergency crews scrambled to reach survivors.

Dr. Ayush, a resident at Civil Hospital next to the campus, said several medical students—some his own classmates—were seriously injured. “Our friends and juniors are being treated now. It’s chaos.”

A postgraduate student estimated that nearly 200 people were on campus when the plane struck.

Photos of the aftermath showed the aircraft’s tail sticking out of the ruined hostel, while pieces of the fuselage were embedded in the debris. Fires raged, and heavy smoke filled the air as rescuers rushed in.

One local man described the sound of the impact as like an earthquake. “I saw the smoke and came running. I didn’t realize it was a plane crash until I saw the wreckage and bodies everywhere,” he told reporters.

Among the dead were at least five medical students, with nearly 40 others injured. One remains in critical condition, according to local police.

Not all hope was lost. At least one passenger survived: Ramesh Viswashkumar, a British national from London visiting family in India, was found alive in seat 11A. “When I got up, there were bodies all around me,” he told the Hindustan Times. “I stood up and ran. Someone pulled me into an ambulance.”

The flight had 242 people on board, including 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, seven Portuguese passengers, and one Canadian. Eleven of the passengers were children. The crew included two pilots and ten flight attendants.

The tragedy has sparked a massive response from Indian emergency services, including the army, police, and fire departments, who quickly sealed off the crash zone. Hundreds of shocked residents gathered at the scene as stretchers carried the dead and injured to nearby hospitals.

India’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement expressing “deepest condolences” to those affected. “What has happened in Ahmedabad is a very tragic accident. We have lost a lot of people.”

The Federation of All India Medical Association also posted a statement, calling the event “shocking and heartbreaking,” especially given the toll on young med students.

As the investigation into the cause of the crash begins, the city mourns what is now one of the worst aviation disasters in Indian history.Tools