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Air India crash sole survivor, free fall before sun: Images that took over internet in 2025
Nepal's Gen Z protests, Air India plane crash, Operation Sindoor, protests over Delhi pollution — major events that defined the year 2025 captured in images .
Protests, tragedies, wonders, wars, peace and so much more defined 2025 not just in India but around the world, most of which was captured in images as reminders of the year’s defining moments and the world’s shared realities. While a nation’s youth overthrew its government, a photographer in Arizona captured one of the most stunning images of a skydiver against the Sun, events which were captured in spectacular visuals that took the internet.
In India too, several events marked 2025 including stampedes, an air crash, and also a military confrontation, most of which left behind their glimpse in the form of images. Here, take a look-
Air India plane crash
In one of worst aviation tragedies ever, an Air India flight crashed just seconds after taking off from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12, 2025, killing 260 people including crew members and passengers.
The plane was a London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner (AI171) and crashed near a densely populated locality just 33 seconds after takeoff. It was carrying 230 passengers, 10 cabin crew and two flight crew members, out of which, only one British national of Indian origin, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, seated at 11A, miraculously survived.
Operation Sindoor/Pahalgam attack
A brutal terrorist attack, one of the worst in India in recent years, shocked the nation as 26 people, most of whom were civilians and tourists, were killed in cold blood by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22.
In response, India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ to target terror sites across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir during the early hours of May 7, leading to a four-day long military confrontation between both the countries.
In a show of strength, India's two women officers — Wing Commander Vyomika Singh and Colonel Sofiya Qureshi — took centre stage and addressed the nation on the developments of the military operation.
Nepal's gen Z protests
The youth of Nepal rose against the country's establishment in 2025 triggered by their government's ban of social media sites, which was later taken back, and alleged rampant corruption in the country among several other issues. In September 2025, Nepal's gen-Z took to streets to demonstrate their anger with the state of affairs, eventually burning down government buildings and overthrowing the government of their former Prime Minister KP Oli. On September 12, Sushila Karki, 73, took oath as interim prime minister of Nepal ahead of the country's general elections slated for next year.
Protests in Delhi over air pollution
As winters arrived in Delhi in 2025, the season brought along with it the yearly infamous streak of spike in air pollution in the national capital, forcing people to streets to protest against the rising AQI levels in the city. Several protesters were detained in November 2025 by the Delhi police, a glimpse of which was captured in a heart-wrenching photo.
IndiGo crisis
The last month of 2025 saw a major flight cancellation crisis by one of India biggest airlines, IndiGo, with thousands of passengers stranded on airports across India. Following the crisis, which caused major uproar, the civil aviation ministry gave its nod to two news airlines – Al Hind Air and FlyExpress – which are set to take to the skies next year.
Mahakumbh 2025
The beginning of this year saw one of the largest human gatherings as Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj hosted the ‘Mahakumbh’ which drew crowd of around 66 crore people over the span of more than an month from January 13 to February 26th. However, the grand event was also marked by a tragedy which saw dozens of people die in a stampede that broke out during early hours of January 29. The stampede broke out as lakhs of pilgrims made their way to the Triveni Sangam for a holy dip on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya, one of the most auspicious days of the Hindu calendar.
New Delhi Railway Station stampede
Another tragedy struck the nation during the Mahakumbh mela when at least 18 people died at the New Delhi Railway Station in a stampede as thousands of pilgrims sought to reach Prayagraj for the mela on February 15. The stampede was triggered by a flood of passengers and a series of mismanaged circumstances - delayed trains, contradictory platform announcements, and overwhelmed infrastructure.
Red fort blast
The national capital was shook to its core when a powerful explosion tore through a car parked near the Red Fort on November 10, following which, several other vehicles were also set ablaze. The blast occurred near gate number 1 of the Lal Quila Metro Station and was so intense, according to witnesses, that it shattered the windows of vehicles parked several metres away and was heard across nearby buildings.
'The fall of Icarus'
An image that caught the world's eye and affection for not just its technical brilliance but also the striking and ethereal nature of it was when photographer Andrew McCarthy captured a skydiver freefalling with the Sun in the backdrop. The image features skydiver Gabriel Brown free falling from a small propeller powered aircraft, perfectly aligned with the flaming solar disc. The photographer named the image ‘The Fall of a Icarus’.
