Families of Air India 171 victims gather to mark 1st anniversary of plane crash

One year after the world's deadliest aviation tragedy in a decade, bereaved families are gathering in India's Ahmedabad to mourn and pay tribute to the 260 people killed in the crash of Air India 171.

They had expected a final report from authorities by Friday but were still awaiting answers to the cause of the incident.

Relatives and friends of the victims were holding vigils and prayer meetings in Ahmedabad, capital of Gujarat State, to mark the first anniversary of the disaster.

As they observed a moment of silence, families holding photos of their loved ones embraced one another while tears were flowing down.

In the city of Mumbai, people in choir also sang in memory of those killed.

On June 12, 2025, shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad, the London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed and slammed into BJ Medical School. All except one passenger of the 242 people aboard were killed. 19 others on the ground also lost their lives.

At the crash site, which is still cordoned off, stands the damaged building that bears the scars of the impact.

On Friday, on this painful milestone, the families said their grief remains undimmed.

Father of the 12-year-old victim Akash Patni stated his life had been ruined. "I pray to God that no one should suffer such a big tragedy of losing their young son, no one should face such a big calamity," he said.

Investigators haven't determined the cause of the incident yet.

The plane's engines lost thrust after the fuel control switches moved almost simultaneously from "RUN" to "CUTOFF," according to a preliminary report released last year.

US officials' early assessment indicates the Air India flight's captain cut flow of fuel to the plane's engines, citing a cockpit recording of dialogue between the two pilots.

The Indian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau said it was too early to "reach any definite conclusions" at the time.

However, the father of the captain, Sumeet Sabharwal, pushed back against claims that his son was to blame, stressing he got years of experience and had an incident-free career.