Seventeen-year-old Aryan Ansari was trying to film a regular plane flyby to show his friends. What he ended up capturing was one of the most horrifying aviation disasters in recent Indian history.
Standing on the terrace of a building near the Ahmedabad airport on June 12, Aryan was recording a video on his phone when the Air India Dreamliner 787-8, operating as flight AI 171, suddenly began descending. “I thought it was going to land because the airport was nearby,” Aryan recalled. “But suddenly, it went down, and flames started shooting up. Then it exploded.”
What Aryan filmed in those chilling seconds quickly went viral on social media, providing a firsthand look at the crash that killed 241 of the 242 people on board. The flight, bound for London, crashed shortly after takeoff from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. Among those who perished in the crash was former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.
Aryan, visibly shaken by the experience, said he rushed to show the clip to his sister and father. “I was scared,” he said. “I didn’t know what to do. I just shared the video with my family.”
The teenager’s footage has since become a crucial piece of visual evidence as investigators continue to probe the cause of the crash. Meanwhile, authorities are working to identify victims from the charred wreckage.
According to Dr. Rajnish Patel, Additional Medical Superintendent at Ahmedabad’s Civil Hospital, 31 DNA matches have been confirmed. “We’ve handed over 12 bodies to their respective families. We are waiting for others to come forward and claim the remains,” he said.
The process of matching blood and DNA samples provided by relatives continues, as families across India and abroad await news with heavy hearts.