At least five MBBS students were killed and over 60 others injured when a London-bound Air India Boeing 787-8 crashed into the BJ Medical College complex in Ahmedabad shortly after take-off, triggering one of India’s worst aviation tragedies in recent years.

The crash, which occurred around lunchtime, set off a massive fireball after the aircraft lost control and slammed into the boys’ hostel building of the college. Many students and doctors were present in the area at the time, leading to extensive casualties.

Among the confirmed dead are five undergraduate medical students, a postgraduate resident doctor, and the wife of a senior superspecialist doctor from the college, according to Dr. Divyansh Singh, national vice president of the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA). He warned that the death toll could rise, as search and rescue operations continue and several individuals remain buried under the debris.

“The bodies that have been recovered are completely charred,” Dr. Singh said. “It was lunchtime, so most of the students and resident doctors were in the mess area when the aircraft came down.”

Air India confirmed that the aircraft was carrying 242 people, including 230 passengers and 12 crew members. Of the passengers, 169 were Indian nationals, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian. Unofficial estimates suggest that up to 25 people in the medical college complex may have perished.

Rescue teams are still working to locate survivors and assess the full scale of the devastation.

Also Read: Air India & Kidzania to set up aviation academy in Mumbai & Noida