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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.

June 12, 2026 marks exactly one year since the deadliest aviation disaster in recent Indian history, when Air India flight AI171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner bound for London, crashed moments after departing Ahmedabad, leaving 260 people dead. All but one passenger and crew on board were killed, and another 19 people on the ground also lost their lives in the impact. On the anniversary of the tragedy, India’s official Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has confirmed that the probe into the crash remains active, with the final public report only scheduled for release once the investigation reaches a conclusive outcome.

In an official statement marking the anniversary, the AAIB said investigators have made “significant progress” across multiple core areas of the inquiry. This includes detailed forensic examinations and technical analysis of the crashed aircraft’s systems, data extracted from both the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, physical inspections of engine components, and full reviews of the plane’s maintenance history and pre-departure operational records. However, the bureau declined to share any fixed timeline for when the investigation will be wrapped up, leaving families of the victims and the global aviation community still waiting for a definitive answer on what caused the crash.

Since the disaster struck on June 12, 2025, the exact root cause of the crash has been the subject of intense public speculation. A preliminary report released by the AAIB one month after the crash, in July 2025, already revealed a critical anomaly that occurred mere seconds after takeoff: the plane’s fuel-control switches unexpectedly shifted to the “cut-off” position, cutting off all fuel supply to both engines and causing a complete total loss of power that left the aircraft unable to stay aloft.

Cockpit audio recordings recovered from the crash site captured a striking exchange between the two pilots, with one asking the other why he had moved the switches, and the second responding that he had not done so. Investigators have not publicly confirmed which pilot made each statement in the exchange.

Weeks after the preliminary report was published, two major international media outlets — The Wall Street Journal and Reuters — published reports citing anonymous investigation sources that pointed new scrutiny to the flight’s senior commander, Captain Sabharwal. Reuters specifically reported that the cockpit recording supported the theory that the captain had intentionally cut fuel flow to the aircraft’s engines.

These media reports sparked immediate widespread pushback from Indian aviation industry groups, including national pilots’ associations. The associations criticized the unconfirmed leaks to media, rejected outright the claims that the senior pilot caused the crash, and also pushed back against what they called premature reporting by the outlets. To date, the AAIB has not endorsed the unconfirmed claims shared by the media, and has not publicly named any individual as a party at fault for the disaster. As the world marks one year since the crash, the investigation continues with no clarity on when families will get a final, official answer.

BANGKOK, Thailand – A prominent Myanmar human rights advocacy organization is calling on global soccer governing body FIFA to scrap a controversial decision that awarded exclusive 2026 FIFA World Cup broadcast rights in Myanmar to a US-sanctioned telecommunication firm directly tied to the country’s military junta, which seized power in a 2021 coup.

Justice For Myanmar confirmed to the Associated Press on Friday that the group only became aware of FIFA’s deal this week, after Mytel – the state-linked telecom at the center of the dispute – rolled out a local advertising blitz promoting its World Cup streaming and broadcast coverage.

As one of Myanmar’s four major cellular service providers, Mytel operates as a joint venture between the Myanmar military and Viettel, a Vietnamese telecom firm controlled by Vietnam’s national military. Founded in 2018, the company generates consistent revenue that flows directly to Myanmar’s ruling junta, making it a top target for anti-coup activists and the subject of a widespread ongoing consumer boycott across the country.

Myanmar has been locked in a devastating civil conflict since the military ousted the democratically elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi five years ago. Junta forces are now battling a broad coalition of long-running ethnic minority militias and newly formed pro-democracy armed groups that oppose military rule.

“FIFA should immediately revoke Mytel’s media rights, uphold human rights and stop undermining sanctions,” said Yadanar Maung, spokesperson for Justice For Myanmar.

“This is an insult to the many people of Myanmar who have given their lives resisting a brutal and illegal junta, who have been boycotting Mytel, and a slap in the face to Myanmar football fans,” Maung added. “FIFA needs to right this now.”

As of press time, Mytel has not responded to multiple requests for comment, including phone calls, voicemail messages, and emailed inquiries. FIFA also has not issued an immediate response to requests for comment on the controversy.

FIFA opened a public tender for Myanmar World Cup media rights in September 2025, and ultimately selected Mytel as its exclusive rights holder for the country. Last year, the U.S. Department of Commerce added Mytel to its roster of sanctioned Myanmar entities, citing that the firm’s “actions and activities that are contrary to the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States.”

At the time of the sanction designation, the Commerce Department noted Mytel was added for “providing surveillance services and financial support to Burma’s military regime, enabling the regime to carry out human rights abuses through the tracking and identification of target individuals and groups.” The U.S. and other global bodies have also imposed separate sanctions on the Myanmar Economic Corporation, the military-owned parent firm of Mytel.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is currently hosted across Canada, Mexico, and the United States, with group stage and knockout matches running through mid-July. While Myanmar did not qualify for the 2026 tournament, soccer holds the title of the most popular sport in the country, and marquee events like the World Cup – as well as top European club competitions – draw massive television and online viewership. Top international sides including Brazil, England, Argentina, Portugal, and Germany count huge bases of passionate fans among Myanmar’s soccer community.

# Three Indian Sailors Killed In U.S. Gulf Of Oman Strike Leave Grieving Families Waiting For Answers

For Patnala Bhargavi, what should have been a month of quiet celebration to mark 15 years of marriage has instead become a period of overwhelming grief. Her husband, 15-year veteran marine engineer Patnala Suresh, was one of three Indian crew members killed this week when the United States military struck the oil tanker MT Settebello in waters near the Gulf of Oman.

The U.S. operation was framed as part of Washington’s ongoing enforcement of a blockade against Iran-linked maritime activity. U.S. Central Command confirmed the strike, stating that the tanker ignored multiple official warnings and was found to be carrying Iranian oil. This narrative has been forcefully rejected by the MT Settebello’s management, which says the vessel had no ties to Iran and received no advance warning before the attack. Twenty-one of the 24 crew members on board were rescued alive after the strike.

Across India, the deaths of the three sailors have sent shockwaves through coastal and inland communities alike, where seafarers often take on dangerous overseas jobs to support their extended families back home. Beyond private grief, loved ones are united in their demands: a full accounting of the strike that killed their family members, and the swift repatriation of the sailors’ remains for funeral rites.

India’s federal government has already moved to respond to the incident. Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal confirmed in a post on the social platform X that work is underway to coordinate the return of the sailors’ bodies, calling the deaths a “profound loss” for India’s large maritime workforce. New Delhi has also taken formal diplomatic action: it summoned a senior U.S. diplomatic official to lodge a strong official protest, and called for an immediate end to strikes targeting commercial shipping vessels in the already tense Gulf region.

But for the families grappling with sudden loss, the details of geopolitical maneuvering feel distant and abstract. Their pain is rooted in broken promises and unfulfilled plans.

Bhargavi still holds onto the last words her husband shared with her before contact was lost. “There have been attacks in this area and some people have been killed,” Suresh told her, “But don’t worry about me. I’ll come home safely, and we’ll celebrate our anniversary properly.”

Now, surrounded by photos of Suresh, the couple’s two young sons, and the two nieces Suresh helped raise after Bhargavi’s older sister and brother-in-law passed away, the 39-year-old widow struggles to reconcile that promise with the new reality of life without her husband, who was the family’s only source of income.

Suresh had built a 15-year career at sea, working his way up to chief engineer, a role that entitled him to six months of paid leave annually. His father Ramakrishna says Suresh rarely took the full time off, drawn to his work and committed to providing for his family. For years, the family adapted to his long absences: Bhargavi and Suresh spoke every few days over video call, often with other crew members popping in to say hello. But starting June 5, calls became patchy, and stopped entirely by June 9.

Bhargavi initially assumed the issue was just spotty maritime connectivity. But after two days of silence, news of the strike reached her family. At first, they clung to hope that there had been a mistake, and that Suresh would turn up alive among the rescued crew. That hope faded quickly; on Thursday, the tanker’s management confirmed Suresh was killed instantly when the strike hit, as he was conducting a routine inspection of a faulty generator in the engine room. Centcom, the U.S. military command for the region, has released footage it claims shows the damage to the tanker’s engine room from the strike.

The family is now calling on the Indian government to provide urgent financial support to help them raise and educate the four children who depended entirely on Suresh’s income. “The entire family depended on his income. Now I don’t know how I’ll educate or raise the children,” Bhargavi says.

The same unanswered questions and raw grief hang over the families of the other two killed sailors, hundreds of kilometers from Visakhapatnam. In India’s northern Himachal Pradesh state, Hamirpur district, the family of 23-year-old Aditya Sharma, an only son, is demanding answers of their own.

“I want my son’s body to be returned to us. We should also be told what happened in his final moments,” Aditya’s father Rajesh Sharma told BBC Hindi. Rajesh Sharma also questioned the outcome of the rescue operation: “The others were rescued, so why couldn’t these three be saved?”

More than 1,000 kilometers away, in Deoria district of the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, 35-year-old Shivanand Chaurasia’s family is dealing with the same sudden loss. A skilled fitter, Chaurasia had left home eight months earlier to take up a contract with a foreign shipping firm. “We spoke to him the night before last. He told us everything was fine,” his father Ramji Chaurasia told Indian news agency ANI. “Now we have been told that he is no more.”

Like Bhargavi, both families say their only priority right now is bringing their loved ones home for a proper burial. The geopolitical tensions that led to the strike are irrelevant to them; what matters is getting to see their sons, husbands and providers one last time, and getting clarity on how they died.

Five days after a 7.8 magnitude offshore earthquake — one of the most powerful seismic events to hit the Philippines in 50 years — struck the country’s southern region, local officials are crediting regular, long-running disaster preparedness drills with preventing a far worse human toll. As of Friday, official counts put the death toll at 55, with 31 people still unaccounted for, nearly 1,120 injured, and more than 45,000 residents displaced from their homes. Half of those displaced remain in temporary emergency shelters, after the quake damaged over 12,600 residential structures across rural farming communities and urban centers alike.

Weeks of ongoing strong aftershocks have left many survivors too traumatized to return to their damaged properties, even after initial safety inspections. In the days following the quake, user-generated footage posted to social media has captured the chaos of the shaking, showing horrified crowds watching small structures crumble, and public flag-raising ceremonies thrown into disarray as the ground shifted. The quake struck on the first school day after the summer holiday break, putting student responses to the emergency in the spotlight.

Multiple videos show students screaming in panic as the ground shook, but many remained orderly outside school buildings, following long-practiced emergency protocols: some stood still, others crouched and covered their heads with their hands, as teachers worked to calm panicked groups and guide responses. One video posted to Facebook has gone viral, racking up millions of views; it shows dozens of elementary students crying and screaming while seated in an open, tree-lined school yard, where the visible swaying of the ground threw the children off balance. A nearby tin storage shed collapsed moments after the shaking started with a loud crash, sending a handful of students running, though teachers quickly guided them back to their assigned safe positions. Remarkably, the Malita-based grade school in Davao Occidental province where the footage was recorded reported zero injuries from the quake.

“This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of earthquake preparedness and the value of regular disaster response drills,” the Mahayahay Elementary School said in an official statement following the event.

Teresito Bacolcol, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), confirmed Friday that consistent public education and regular emergency drills over many years helped communities across the affected region anticipate and respond correctly to the extreme seismic event, a rare powerful quake for the archipelago in modern history. He added that additional good fortune played a role: the quake struck at 7:37 a.m. local time, just minutes before most workers and students were set to enter indoor offices and classrooms, when people would have been at higher risk of injury from falling debris or structural collapse.

“It’s good that our efforts to educate people on what to do when earthquakes hit somehow paid off,” Bacolcol told the Associated Press. However, he also raised urgent concerns about the structural failures of several buildings that he said should have withstood the quake’s force if national building code construction standards had been properly followed during construction.

Ednar Dayanghirang, regional director of the Philippines’ Office of Civil Defense for the 5 million-person affected region, noted that preparedness measures reduced fatalities in multiple critical ways, most notably by preventing deadly crowd stampedes that often occur during mass public emergencies. “We required all school principals to take one-day courses on incident management, then they appointed disaster-response teams among teachers to deal with earthquakes, tsunamis,” Dayanghircsang said. “They listened and they learned.”

Located along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a horseshoe-shaped arc of active seismic faults that circles the Pacific Ocean basin, the Philippines ranks among the most disaster-prone nations on Earth, regularly facing major earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tropical storms. Years of repeated disaster events have pushed the national government to invest heavily in public disaster preparedness training, a choice that officials now confirm saved hundreds if not thousands of lives during this month’s powerful quake.