London-bound plane with 242 people on board crashes near airport in western India
LAST UPDATE
|
35 mins ago
AN AIR INDIA plane with over 200 people on board has crashed shortly after take-off in Ahmedabad, western India.
Flight AI171 was bound for London Gatwick.
The 242 people on board included two pilots and ten cabin crew.
Of the passengers 169 are Indian nationals, 53 are British nationals, seven are Portuguese there's one Canadian national.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner issued a mayday call but was unresponsive to air traffic controllers after that messsage.
It crashed to the ground outside the airport perimeter in a residential area.
Updates from Daragh Brophy and Mairead Maguire.
5 mins ago
11:49AM
A spokepserson for the Department of Foreign Affairs said it is aware of the crash.
'The Department, including the Embassy of Ireland in India, is closely monitoring the situation and stands ready to provide consular assistance.'
6 mins ago
11:48AM
Ahmedabad is an international airport located in the state of Gujarat, on the western coast of India, bordering Pakistan.
It's about 500km north-west of Mumbai and 900km south-west of New Delhi.
23 mins ago
11:31AM
Thick smoke was seen rising from the residential area where the plane came down.
'The injured are being taken to the nearest hospitals,' Air India said, adding that the airline 'is giving its full cooperation to the authorities investigating this incident'.
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25 mins ago
11:29AM
India's aviation minster said he was 'shocked and devastated' and that his 'thoughts and prayers are with all those on board and their families'.
'I am personally monitoring the situation and have directed all aviation and emergency response agencies to take swift and coordinated action,' Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said in a statment.
'Rescue teams have been mobilised, and all efforts are being made to ensure medical aid and relief support are being rushed to the site,' he added.
'My thoughts and prayers are with all those on board and their families.'
A spokesperson for Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad told the BBC that the airport is currently not operational.
All flights have been suspended until further notice.
26 mins ago
11:29AM
The Flight Radar 24 flight-tracking website
said that flight #AI171 had a scheduled time of departure was 9:50am local time and scheduled arrival time in London of 6:25pm local time.
It reports that the signal from the aircraft was lost at 10:08am local time at 625 feet, less than a minute after take off.
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