London-bound plane carrying more than 200 people crashes after takeoff in India

An Air India passenger plane carrying more than 200 people crashed Thursday after taking off from an airport in the Indian city of Ahmedabad.

Air India flight AI 171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London’s Gatwick Airport, crashed into a residential area called Meghani Nagar five minutes after taking off at 1:38 p.m. local time, Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, the director general of the directorate of civil aviation, told The Associated Press. There were 242 passengers and crew members onboard the flight.

“With profound sorrow I confirm that Air India Flight 171 operating Ahmedabad London Gatwick was involved in a tragic accident today. Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of all those affected by this devastating event,” Air India Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran wrote on X.

Local media showed smoke billowing from the crash site near the airport in northwestern India.  The plane issued a “mayday” call to air traffic control before plunging out of the sky, Reuters reported. 

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“At this moment, our primary focus is on supporting all the affected people and their families. We are doing everything in our power to assist the emergency response teams at the site and to provide all necessary support and care to those impacted,” Chandrasekaran added.

Air India said of those onboard the plane, 169 are from India, 53 are from Britain, 7 are from Portugal and 1 is from Canada. The injured are being taken to local hospitals.

“The building on which it has crashed is a doctors’ hostel… we have cleared almost 70% to 80% of the area and will clear the rest soon,” a senior police officer told Reuters.

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London’s Gatwick Airport also wrote on X that “We can confirm that flight AI171 that crashed on departure from Ahmedabad Airport today was due to land at London Gatwick at 18:25.”

India’s Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu posted on X that rescue teams have been mobilized, and all efforts are being made to ensure medical aid and relief support at the site.

“We are on highest alert. I am personally monitoring the situation,” he said.

The 787 Dreamliner is a widebody, twin-engine plane. This is the first crash ever of a Boeing 787 aircraft, according to the Aviation Safety Network database.

The aircraft was introduced in 2009 and more than 1,000 have been delivered to dozens of airlines, Flightradar24 reported.

“We are aware of initial reports and are working to gather more information,” Boeing said in a statement.

In August 2020 an Air India Express Boeing-737 skidded off a hilltop runway in southern India, killing 21 people.

The worst air disaster in India was on Nov. 12, 1996, when a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight collided midair with a Kazakhastan Airlines Flight near Charki Dadri in Haryana state, killing all 349 on board the two planes.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.