New Delhi: Aircraft manufacturer Boeing on Saturday said it continues to support the ongoing investigation into the Air India Flight AI171 crash, hours after the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) released its preliminary report on the incident that occurred in Ahmedabad.

“Our thoughts remain with the loved ones of the passengers and crew on board Air India Flight 171, as well as everyone affected on the ground in Ahmedabad. We continue to support the investigation and our customer,” the company said in an official statement.

“We will defer to the AAIB to provide information about AI171, in adherence with the United Nations International Civil Aviation Organisation protocol known as Annex 13,’ it added.

The crash killed 260 people, including 229 passengers, 12 crew members, and 19 people on the ground.

The 15-page report outlines a harrowing sequence of events that unfolded within 90 seconds of takeoff, as both engines of the aircraft shut down unexpectedly during the initial climb, leading to a catastrophic loss of thrust and rapid descent.

Flight data recovered from the aircraft’s Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorder (EAFR) revealed that the fuel cutoff switches for both engines were inadvertently moved from RUN to CUTOFF, one after the other within a 1-second interval, at an altitude just moments after liftoff. One pilot was heard asking the other, “Why did you cut off?” to which the response was, “I did not.” This uncommanded shutdown triggered the deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT), and the aircraft began losing altitude almost immediately, unable to sustain powered flight.

According to the AAIB, the pilots re-engaged the fuel switches in an attempt to relight both engines. Engine 1 showed signs of recovering thrust, but Engine 2 failed to stabilise. The aircraft, which had briefly reached a speed of 180 knots, was already descending and failed to regain altitude. The final distress call — a “MAYDAY” — was transmitted at 08:09 UTC, just seconds before the aircraft crashed into residential buildings outside the airport perimeter.

The final report is expected in the coming months.

Flight AI171 was a scheduled service from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, carrying 230 passengers and crew. The crash represents one of the deadliest aviation accidents in India in recent history.

Vadodara: The death toll in the collapse of a span of the 45-year-old Gambhira Bridge over the Mahisagar River, connecting Central Gujarat to Saurashtra, has risen to 14, while six persons are still missing. In this incident, vehicles including two trucks, two pickups and a rickshaw passing over the bridge fell into the Mahisagar River flowing on both banks.

Official sources said that 14 people have died in this accident, while more than 8 people were rescued. On Thursday morning, during the search operation of the NDRF, one more body was found, which has been sent to the Padra Community Health Center. Six people are still missing and the rescue operation is going on in the river.

Three members of the same family from Vadodara’s Mujpur village have died in this accident. Mujpur village was in a state of shock as the last rites of a father, son and daughter were done simultaneously. Father Rameshbhai, son Naiktik, and daughter Vaidika were all on their way to complete the Bagdana Badha and met death on the way.

In less than a month of the tragic Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad killing 260 people, Gujarat witnessed yet another incident where the dilapidated bridge’s span of Gambhira bridge collapsed killing 14 people.

This accident took place around 7 to 7-30 am on Wednesday. According to the locals, three trucks, two Eco, one rickshaw, one pickup and two bikes have fallen into the river due to the collapse of the bridge.

The deceased have been identified as Vaidika Rameshbhai Padhiyar, Naitik Rameshbhai Padhiyar, Hasmukhbhai Mahijibhai Parmar,Rameshbhai Dalpatbhai Padhiyar, age 32, Vakhatsinh Manusinh Jadav, Pravinbhai Raojibhai Jadav, age 26, village-Undel and three other unidentified persons.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel tweeted, “The tragedy caused by the collapse of one of the 23 spans of the Gambhira Bridge connecting Anand and Vadodara is tragic. I pray for the peace of the souls of the deceased who lost their lives in the accident. Instructions have been given to arrange for the immediate treatment of the injured by talking to the Vadodara Collector and making arrangements on priority”

“The fire brigade team of the local municipality and Vadodara Municipal Corporation are working with boats and swimmers at the accident site for rescue and relief operations, as well as the NDRF team has also reached the scene and joined the rescue operation. Orders have been given to the Road Construction Department to immediately investigate this accident”

Ignored Warnings Since 2022

In August 2022, Harshadsinh Parmar, a member of the Vadodara District Panchayat, warned authorities in writing. He addressed a letter to the Executive Engineer of the Roads and Buildings (R&B) Division, urging an immediate site inspection of the Gambhira Bridge and called for its closure.

“The bridge was in a very dilapidated condition, and I clearly feared an accident due to heavy vehicle traffic,” Parmar told reporters. “I demanded it be shut and a new bridge constructed. But they only did superficial repairs.”

Not only that — Parmar even cited the Morbi Bridge collapse in his correspondence to stress the consequences of neglect. His warnings were echoed by the Additional Secretary of the Vadodara Collector’s Office, who issued an order to inspect the bridge and publish a test report. However, no action followed beyond minor patchwork.

A Bridge Known to Be Unsafe

Despite being officially declared unsafe in 2022, the Gambhira Bridge continued to serve full vehicular traffic, including trucks and buses. Sources reveal that while a new bridge project worth ₹212 crore had been approved, no groundwork ever began.

“The administration chose to ignore every red flag,” said Rekha Solanki, a local activist. “This isn’t an accident. It’s administrative murder.”

The bridge’s collapse comes just two days after the state government held a meeting on infrastructure affected by heavy rains. The timing has only intensified public outrage.

Vadodara: At least nine people lost their lives after the Gambhira bridge connecting Vadodara and Anand districts of Gujarat collapsed on Wednesday, July 9. Several vehicles plunged into the Mahisagar River. However, a tanker had a close shave as it stopped just at the edge of the broken bridge.

A video of the tanker hanging in the middle of the broken bridge surfaced online. In the video, it could be seen that a slab of the Gambhira bridge fell into the river. The front part of the vehicle was on the broken portion of the bridge.

Meanwhile, heavy rainfall is reported in several parts of Gujarat, received heavy rainfall in the past few days, throwing normal life out of gear.

The bridge connects central Gujarat to the Saurashtra region. The bridge was located near Padra town in the district. According to the details available, around nine persons have died and another nine persons have been rescued, out of whom five have been referred to the SSG Hospital in Vadodara. None of the rescued persons is in critical condition. The rescue operation is still going on,” Superintendent of Police (Vadodara rural) Rohan Anand said as reported by news agency.

As per the police official, a 10 to 15 metres long slab of the bridge collapsed at around 7.30 am. Five vehicles — two trucks, two vans and an autorickshaw — fell into the river after the bridge collapsed, Vadodara Collector Anil Dhameliya said. Three people on a two-wheeler, which fell into the river, managed to swim to safety, Dhameliya added.

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel expressed grief over the tragedy and said an order has been given to the state’s roads and buildings department to conduct a probe into the collapse and submit a report.

Gujarat minister Rushikesh Patel said the bridge was constructed in 1985, and its maintenance was carried out periodically as and when required. “The exact reason behind the incident will be probed,” he said.

The nearly 900-metre-long Gambhira bridge has 23 piers and was inaugurated in 1985.