Death toll in Air India crash rises to 270

AHMEDABAD, India — June 14, 2025 — The death toll in Thursday’s catastrophic Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad has climbed to 270, making it the world’s deadliest aviation disaster in more than a decade. 

Grieving families continue to wait in anguish as authorities struggle to identify the badly charred remains of the victims.

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, en route to Britain’s Gatwick Airport with 242 people on board, crashed just seconds after take-off, plummeting into a residential area and striking a building within the B.J. Medical College hostel complex. The plane erupted into a massive fireball, killing nearly everyone on board and several people on the ground. Only one survivor has been confirmed.

“This is a national tragedy,” said Dhaval Gameti, president of the Junior Doctors Association at B.J. Medical College. “Our teams have recovered 270 bodies from the site so far. The identification process is ongoing.”

The cause of the crash remains under investigation. Preliminary reports suggest potential issues with engine thrust, the aircraft’s flaps, and the landing gear, which reportedly failed to retract during take-off. Officials from Air India and the Indian government have yet to confirm the exact cause.

The tragedy comes as a significant blow to Air India, which has been undergoing a transformation under Tata Group ownership since its acquisition from the Indian government in 2022. Tata Group Chairman N. Chandrasekaran said on Friday that the company was committed to understanding the causes of the crash. “We don’t know what went wrong right now, but we will get answers,” he said.

Families in Agony as Identification Delays Stretch On

At the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad, dozens of distraught relatives remain gathered, pleading for information about their loved ones. Most of the victims’ bodies were burned beyond recognition, forcing authorities to rely on dental records and DNA profiling to identify the deceased.

“We have lost our children. We just want to know when we can take them home,” said Rafiq Abdul Hafiz Memon, who lost four family members in the crash. “We’re not getting answers. We are very hassled.”

Another grieving father, waiting to collect the remains of his son Harshad Patel, expressed frustration. “The authorities told me it will take 72 hours to complete DNA profiling. They are trying to help, but our patience is running out,” he said.

Jaishankar Pillai, a forensic dentist involved in the identification process, confirmed that dental records for at least 135 victims had been collected and were being matched with antemortem data such as dental charts and radiographs. “This is a painstaking process,” he said. “But it’s the only way to bring closure to the families.”

Global Aviation Community Reacts

The crash has drawn international attention and raised concerns about airline safety in India, a country whose aviation sector has grown rapidly in recent years. Aviation regulators and Boeing officials are expected to join the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in a formal investigation.

As India mourns its dead, the government has promised a full inquiry and support for the families of the victims. For now, however, the pain of loss and uncertainty continues to weigh heavily on those left behind.