A year after the devastating Air India AI171 crash in Ahmedabad that claimed 260 lives, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation Commissioner Banchanidhi Pani recalled the extraordinary challenges faced by rescue teams in the immediate aftermath of the disaster. He said rescuers had to break through the walls of the medical hostel struck by the aircraft before they could even begin reaching victims trapped inside the wreckage.
The London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed into the hostel complex of BJ Medical College seconds after taking off from Ahmedabad airport on June 12, 2025. The disaster killed 241 passengers and crew members on board, along with 19 people on the ground. Only one passenger, Viswashkumar Ramesh, survived the crash.
Speaking on the first anniversary of the tragedy, Pani said personnel from the fire brigade, health department and engineering teams rushed to the scene immediately after receiving information about the accident. Their first task was to create access routes by demolishing sections of the hostel structure so that rescue operations could begin.
He said firefighters faced particularly difficult conditions because the crash had triggered a massive fire. The intensity of the blaze generated extremely high temperatures, making it impossible for rescue personnel to immediately enter the impact zone. According to Pani, reducing the heat levels became the first priority for firefighters before any search or recovery efforts could proceed.
Only after the fire was brought under control and temperatures dropped were rescuers able to enter the site to search for survivors and recover bodies. The operation involved more than 60 firefighters and over 90 ambulances. Rescue teams also evacuated students who were trapped inside portions of the hostel affected by the crash.
Pani said authorities had to quickly manage large crowds that gathered near the crash site. To ensure the smooth transport of injured persons and recovered victims, officials established a green corridor connecting the site with the Civil Hospital, allowing ambulances to move without delay.
The municipal commissioner noted that the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation continued working for nearly a month after the crash under the guidance of the central and Gujarat governments. He recalled that Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited the crash site on the day of the accident, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Ahmedabad the following morning and reviewed the situation.
Pani also highlighted a unique administrative initiative undertaken to assist grieving families. In coordination with Civil Hospital authorities, the municipal corporation arranged for death certificates to be issued and handed over along with the bodies. The measure was intended to spare families the hardship of making repeated trips to Ahmedabad for documentation.
He added that engineering, fire and electrical departments of the municipal corporation continued assisting investigators from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) for several weeks as the probe progressed. The AAIB's final report into the cause of the crash is expected in the coming months as investigators continue analysing technical and operational evidence related to one of India's deadliest aviation disasters.
