Eyewitnesses and survivors described scenes of terror as the aircraft struck the Atulyam building, home to intern doctors. The impact tore through the third to fifth floors of the hostel, breaking the tail of the aircraft into two and sparking a ferocious blaze that engulfed the site in thick black smoke visible for kilometers. Dozens of residents were inside at the time, and many leapt from upper floors in a desperate attempt to survive.
Among those who narrowly escaped was the son of local resident Ramila, who broke down as she shared her ordeal. “My son had gone to the hostel for lunch. I thought I had lost him. But by God’s grace, he jumped from the second floor and survived with only minor injuries,” she said. Other survivors echoed similar stories of panic, injuries, and miraculous escapes.
Rescue efforts began immediately, with Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel cutting short his visit to Surat to oversee operations in Ahmedabad. He visited the injured at Asarwa Civil Hospital and directed the formation of green corridors for rapid medical evacuations. Emergency measures were rolled out across hospitals, and the state government set up a central control room to manage the crisis. Two emergency numbers were issued by Ahmedabad Civil Hospital to assist families and those seeking medical updates.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah assured full federal support and deployed National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams to bolster rescue and relief operations. Meanwhile, preliminary investigations point to a possible technical malfunction, with reports suggesting that the plane’s landing gear failed to retract, causing a loss of balance that led to the aircraft veering into buildings shortly after takeoff.
As a result of the crash, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport has suspended all operations until further notice, and flights have been diverted or canceled. Passengers onboard included nationals from India, the UK, Portugal, and Canada, making it one of the deadliest aviation incidents in recent Indian history. Authorities have recovered the aircraft’s black box, which will be key to determining the exact cause of the disaster.