It has been 12 months since one of India’s deadliest aviation disasters unfolded, and on Friday, families of the 260 victims of Air India Flight 171 gathered across the country to honor their lost loved ones, clinging to faded memories while still waiting for clear answers about what caused the crash.
The flight, bound for London from Ahmedabad’s international airport, crashed just seconds after lifting off from the runway on June 12 last year. The jet plowed into the campus of BJ Medical College, leaving no survivors among the 241 passengers and crew on board except one. Nineteen more people on the ground were also killed, bringing the total death toll to 260.
To date, the exact cause of the disaster remains undetermined. On the first anniversary of the crash, Indian investigative authorities released their latest update, confirming that all collected evidence is currently undergoing “comprehensive and integrated analysis”. Officials confirmed a full public report will be released once the probe is completed.
India’s Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu reaffirmed the commitment to a full, unbiased inquiry earlier this year. “We remain committed to a thorough and objective determination of the causes of the accident and to further enhancing aviation safety,” he wrote on social media platform X, alongside renewed condolences for all bereaved families.
In Ahmedabad, the site of the crash, visible scars of the disaster still remain. The impact zone remains cordoned off, with blackened, damaged building structures still standing behind safety barriers. Relatives have transformed the perimeter of the site into an informal public memorial, covering the ground with flower garlands, handwritten condolence messages, and framed portraits of those who died.
On Friday, dozens of families travelled to the site to pray and grieve together. Among them was the family of 12-year-old Akash Patni, who was killed when the plane crashed into the tea stall where he was helping his family work that day. Akash’s mother, Sitaben, suffered severe burn injuries in the crash and spent weeks recovering in hospital; Friday marked her first return to the site since the disaster. As she recited Hindu hymns beside her son’s garlanded portrait, she repeatedly broke down in tears, comforted by surrounding relatives.
Fifty-three British citizens were among those killed in the crash. On Thursday, British High Commissioner to India Lindy Cameron laid wreaths to pay her respects to the victims, and a separate formal memorial service will be held in Leicester, UK, this weekend.
At BJ Medical College itself, staff, students and family members gathered for a campus memorial event, and organizers also held a mass blood donation drive to honor the lives lost one year prior.
For many families, private remembrance events were held far from the crash site, in family homes and local places of worship. In a small Ahmedabad home, the Thakur family prepared to honor Sarlaben Thakur and her two-year-old granddaughter Aadhya, who both died when the plane crashed into the college’s hostel building. The family marked the anniversary with a prayer meeting at a local temple, after their home proved too small to accommodate the 200 expected guests.
The Thakur family have described June 12 as a permanent “black day” in their family history. Their grief remains so raw that they have removed all clocks from their home; even a quick glance at the time triggers painful memories of the frantic hours after the crash, when they searched every local hospital and mortuary for any sign of Sarlaben and Aadhya. For generations, the family has run a small tiffin service catering to doctors and medical staff at BJ Medical College, and Sarlaben spent decades cooking for the community. Despite their limited income, the family prepared a full meal for all mourners, including one of Aadhya’s favorite dishes — crunchy noodles and Manchurian. “In this way, they continue to occupy a place in our home,” said Uma Thakur, Sarlaben’s daughter. “We hope this will bring us all some peace, at least for some time.”
In Maharashtra, memorial services were held in Mumbai, where the flight’s two pilots and several cabin crew members lived. In Nhava village, Navi Mumbai, relatives of cabin crew member Maithili Patil gathered for a private prayer service. Nine months after the crash, Maithili’s personal luggage was finally returned to her family; on Friday, the bag was displayed alongside her other favorite belongings as friends and family paid their respects. Like many other families, the Patils still wait for clarity on what caused the disaster. “My daughter will never come back to me. I only want the truth about what caused this accident,” Maithili’s mother Pramila told local reporters.
The crash left just one survivor: Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who lost his brother in the disaster. In a statement released for the first anniversary, Ramesh said he still lives with severe long-term psychological trauma from the event. “More than anything, people need honesty, transparency and answers. Nothing will ever change what happened, but families deserve clarity,” he said.
For all bereaved families, the first anniversary has served as a painful reminder that one full year has passed, but their unresolved grief and hunger for answers remain as sharp as the day the disaster occurred.