An Air India passenger plane with 242 people on board has crashed shortly after taking off from an airport in India’s western city of Ahmedabad.
Images from the scene showed thick black smoke rising up into the sky.
The number of casualties was not immediately clear. The plane was bound for London’s Gatwick Airport, where it was due to land at 6.25 p.m. local time (1.25 p.m. ET).
Air India confirmed in a statement that its flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick was involved in an accident Thursday shortly after takeoff.
The flight was carrying 242 passengers and crew members. Of these, 169 were Indian nationals and 53 were British nationals. There were also seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian national on board, the airline said.
The injured are being taken to the nearest hospitals, it added.
Flight AI171 made a Mayday call to Air Traffic Control shortly after takeoff, according to India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
“But thereafter no response was given by the aircraft to the calls made by ATC. Aircraft Immediately after departure from Runway 23, fell on ground outside the airport perimeter. Heavy black smoke was seen coming from the accident site,” the statement said.
Ahmedabad Airport
According to aviation tracker FlightRadar24, Air India flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, departed from Ahmedabad International airport at 1.38 p.m. local time (4.08 a.m. ET). The aircraft’s signal was lost less than a minute later, at an altitude of 625 feet.
The aircraft then started to descend with a vertical speed of -475 feet per minute, FlightRadar24 data showed.
All flights out of Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport have been suspended until further notice following the incident, according to a spokesperson for the airport.
“Passengers are advised to check with their respective airlines for the latest updates before proceeding to the airport. We request your cooperation and patience as authorities manage this evolving situation,” the spokesperson said.
India’s minister of civil aviation, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, said he was “shocked and devastated” to learn of the plane crash.
“Rescue teams have been mobilised, and all efforts are being made to ensure medical aid and relief support are being rushed to the site,” the minister wrote on a statement on X.
Natarajan Chandrasekaran, the chairman of Air India, said that Air India Flight AI171 had been involved in a “tragic accident.”
He added, “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.”
Source: CNN/Ejiofor Ezeifeoma