Air India Crash: Temperature Hit 1,000°C, No Escape for Birds or Stray Dogs

As Air India flight AI-171 erupted into a fireball shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Airport in Ahmedabad, the black soot-covered buildings near the crash site told a harrowing tale of the devastation.

According to reports, the temperature soared to around 1,000 degrees Celsius—leaving no time for even birds to escape the inferno.

The London-bound flight crashed into the BJ Medical College complex in Meghaninagar, killing 241 of the 242 people onboard, along with a few others in the medical college’s hostel building. The toll in the tragedy is reported to be 265. Bodies of all the deceased are yet to be recovered.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah told reporters that the aircraft was carrying 1.25 lakh litres of fuel, which ignited on impact, making it impossible to save anyone.

As the aircraft exploded, an inferno erupted, sending flames and heat surging to 1,000 degrees Celsius, according to preliminary assessments.

Personnel from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) said the extreme heat made the rescue operation challenging. Wearing PPE suits during the operation further added to their discomfort.

“The temperature was so high that it felt impossible to approach the simmering wreckage,” one responder said.

Rescue personnel noted that they had never encountered a tragedy of this magnitude. They lost count of how many bodies they recovered from the charred wreckage.

“It all happened so quickly that even birds and stray dogs had no chance to escape,” they told reporters while retrieving the remains of animals from the crash site.