When the Air India Dreamliner aircraft bound for London crashed while taking off from Ahmedabad on June12, 2025, parts of its fuselage landed on the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy (B. J.) Medical College hostel. It was lunch hour and a video which surfaced soon thereafter showed students jumping out of the hostel building to escape the raging fire and smoke caused by the aircraft’s impact. Not only did all but one aboard the aircraft perish, but several persons, including doctors, medical students and visitors were killed on the ground as well.
Wreckage of Air India aircraft in the B. J. Medical College hostel
Photo: Wikipedia
Reports from the internet reveal that the London-bound Air India flight AI-171, carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members, crashed shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The aircraft lost altitude within 50 seconds of takeoff and slammed into the B. J. Medical College campus in the city’s Meghaninagar area, triggering a massive fireball and thick smoke that engulfed the hostel complex. The newly emerged footage shows terrified students trying to flee the blaze. Thick plumes of black smoke billow beside the hostel building as students can be seen climbing out of windows, using makeshift cloth ropes to lower themselves to safety. Some are seen helping each other down, while others take refuge in nearby trees, watching helplessly as the plane burns in the background.
The Parsi endowed B. J. Medical College, which is affiliated with the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, is located within its complex. According to Wikipedia, "the Ahmedabad Medical School was established in 1871. It had 14 students… Businessman Byramjee Jeejeebhoy donated Rs 20,000 in 1879 to expand its facilities, and the school was renamed as B. J. Medical School. In 1917, the School became affiliated to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Bombay. By 1946, the School had obtained an affiliation with the University of Bombay and achieved higher status, allowing it to become a certified medical college that could offer a Licentiate Certified Physician and Surgeon (LCPS) degree. In 1951, it became affiliated to the Gujarat University and began offering undergraduate courses. The postgraduate courses also received a Gujarat University affiliation in 1956.”