The exact cause of the crash is still under investigation, as authorities work to piece together what led to the devastating tragedy.

An Air India flight bound for London ended in tragedy just minutes after takeoff, crashing with 242 people on board. Among the victims were pilots, several crew members, and a British couple traveling together. As authorities investigate the cause, families and officials are grappling with the devastating loss of lives.

Among the 242 people on board the ill-fated flight were 232 passengers, including two infants, and 12 crew members. Only one person survived. First Officer Clive Kunder, originally from Mangaluru and living in Mumbai, was among those who lost their lives.

He had completed his flight training at Paris Air Inc. and had logged approximately 1,100 flying hours. Clive was relatively new to commercial aviation but fully certified to operate the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Actor Vikrant Massey took to Instagram Stories to share that he had a personal connection Clive. He revealed that Clive, the first officer on board the flight, was the son of his uncle, Clifford Kunder. Vikrant extended his prayers to his uncle and to all those mourning loved ones, adding that his heart breaks for them.

At the time of the crash, Clive was assisting Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, who held primary command of the flight. Sumeet, a Line Training Captain (LTC) with over 8,200 flight hours, also lost his life in the accident.

As an LTC, he was responsible for mentoring and guiding other flight crew members, a role that reflected the trust placed in his expertise and leadership.

That experience was evident in his final moments, when he realized something was wrong and radioed the ground with a chilling message, “Mayday…no thrust, losing power, unable to lift!”

In the following 19 seconds, the Boeing Dreamliner continued to lose altitude and drifted off course before crashing into buildings, claiming the lives of nearly everyone on board and dozens more on the ground, as air traffic controllers watched in helpless horror.

Also on duty were senior cabin crew members Shradha Dhavan and Aparna Mahadik, along with Saineeta Chakravarti, Kongbrailatpam Nganthoi Sharma, Deepak Pathak, Maithili Patil, Irfan Shaikh, Lamnunthem Singson, Roshni Songhare Rajendra, and Manisha Thapa.

Politician Biren Singh paid tribute to Kongbrailatpam and Lamnunthem on X, sharing their photos and remembering them as vibrant individuals who served with pride and dedication. “May their souls rest in peace and may their loved ones find the strength to get through this unimaginable pain,” he penned.

The death of the British couple Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek, 39, and his husband Jamie Meek, 44, has also left their loved ones devastated and struggling to process the sudden loss. The two were returning home to London after a ten-day stay at a wellness retreat in India.

Jamie’s brother, Nick Meek, a caretaker from Birmingham, noted, “We were expecting him home tonight. He should have landed at 6.30pm and then driven up for about 11 to get his dog who is staying with our Mum.”

Nick said their mother was struggling to cope with the news, describing the loss as overwhelming and still very fresh for the family.

Fiongal and Jamie, known for running The Wellness Foundry, a spiritual wellness practice based in London and Ramsgate, had boarded the flight expecting to be back in time to reunite with family and their dog but their lives were tragically cut short.

The couple’s joy and gratitude for their trip were clear in the final video they posted on their wellness page. In the lighthearted clip, Jamie and Fiongal appeared cheerful and full of energy, smiling and joking with one another.

At one point, Fiongal asked Jamie what his biggest takeaway from the trip was, prompting some playful back-and-forth as Jamie initially responded that they’d already covered that question, only for Fiongal to clarify it was for something else.

They continued joking, with Fiongal quipping that his main takeaway was not to lose patience with his partner. Jamie laughed, saying Fiongal had already begun losing patience with him after snapping during tea, adding, “I see you’ve learnt nothing,” as Fiongal burst into laughter. The video ended with Fiongal blowing a kiss to the camera and saying, “Going back happily, happily, happily calm.”

Jamie’s final Instagram post also captured a quiet, joyful moment between the couple during their time at the wellness retreat. He shared a photo of the two of them seated at their accommodation in India, sunlight streaming in as they smiled cheerfully.

The personal stories of those who lost their lives in the crash have deeply moved many, with countless people offering prayers for those mourning their brothers, sisters, parents, and loved ones.

The exact reason behind the fall of Flight 171 remains unclear and will be the focus of a thorough investigation, one that could take months.

But amid the devastation, a single voice that survived the horror of the crash has spoken out. The survivor, Vishwa Kumar Ramesh, called his family from the wreckage, and his brother and cousin later shared what he said.

The 38-year-old British national was returning to London from Ahmedabad with his brother Ajay Ramesh when the Boeing 787 Dreamliner went down shortly after takeoff.

Moments after emerging from the wreckage, Viswash contacted his family in Britain, according to The New York Times. Viswash’s younger brother, Nayan Ramesh, 27, told the paper that Viswash made a video call to their father from beside the wreckage.

Nayan also shared what Viswash said, “Our plane crashed. I have no idea how I got outside.”

Nayan also recalled that his brother couldn’t find Ajay or any other passengers and was in complete shock. “I don’t know how I am alive,” he quoted Viswash as saying.

At the Ramesh family home in Leicester, England, grief was evident. Mourners stood silently outside while relatives consoled one another indoors.

In India, Dr. Dhaval Gameti, who examined Viswash, reportedly said he was disoriented and had multiple injuries but was no longer in immediate danger.

According to Nayan, the family later spoke with Viswash at the hospital, where staff told him to be on bed rest and temporarily switched off his phone to support his recovery.

Further details emerged through CNN, including accounts from additional family members and hospital officials. Viswash’s cousin, Ajay Valgi, told reporters in Leicester that Ramesh had confirmed he was “fine,” but the family was devastated by the death of his brother and the others who were lost.

Dr. Rajnish Patel, head of surgery at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, told CNN that Viswash was in stable condition. “He has some blood in the images, but he’s not very badly injured. He is very comfortable and under strict observation, no issues,” Rajnish said, adding that he could be discharged within days.

Further reports suggested Viswash was seated in 11A, an emergency exit row near the plane’s left wing. Looking into this matter, CNN safety analyst and former U.S. Federal Aviation Administration safety inspector David Soucie said he was surprised anyone survived in that section of the plane.

He noted that the seat was situated directly above the wing spar, a heavily reinforced area likely to absorb the force of impact during a crash, making survival above it highly unlikely.

Reflecting the broader reaction, Shivani Raja, member of parliament for Leicester East, described Viswash’s survival as “nothing short of a miracle.” She said she had reached out to the family while choosing to respect their privacy.