An Air India passenger plane carrying 242 passengers and crew crashed in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon, not long after departing for London’s Gatwick airport, the airline and officials said.
“Air India confirms that flight AI171, from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, was involved in an accident today after take-off,” Air India said in a statement posted on social media.
It said the flight, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, departed at 1:38 p.m. local time and was carrying 242 people in total.
“Of these, 169 are Indian nationals, 53 are British nationals, 1 Canadian national and 7 Portuguese nationals. The injured are being taken to the nearest hospitals,” Air India said.
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Local media reported that the plane had crashed into a building housing medical students. There were unconfirmed reports of more than 100 fatalities, but there was no immediate confirmation from from authorities.
Unverified video shared online by Indian network NDTV purportedly showed the passenger jet flying low over buildings before disappearing behind them. There is then a large explosion. In the unverified video, no fire or explosion can be seen on the aircraft before it disappears.
The director general of India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, told The Associated Press that flight AI171 crashed five minutes after taking off. Live flight tracking website Flight Radar said it received a final signal from Flight AI171 just seconds after it took off. The flight path on Flight Radar showed the aircraft traveling southwest from the airport a short distance before the path stopped.
India’s Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said in a statement posted on social media that he was “shocked and devastated to learn about the flight crash in Ahmedabad.”
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Kinjarapu said officials were “on highest alert” and that he was “personally monitoring this situation” and had “directed all aviation and emergency response agencies to take swift and coordinated action.”
“Rescue teams have been mobilized, and all efforts are being made to ensure medical aid and relief support are being rushed to the site,” Kinjarapu said.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said “the tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. It is heartbreaking beyond words. In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it. Have been in touch with Ministers and authorities who are working to assist those affected.”
Gatwick Airport confirmed in a statement that flight AI171 had “crashed on departure from Ahmedabad Airport today.” The airport said the plane had been due to land at Gatwick, which is just south of London, at 6:25 p.m. local time (1:25 p.m. Eastern).
