Air India plane crashes outside Ahmedabad airport area
Air India plane crashes outside Ahmedabad airport area
Air India flight 171 was headed for London's Gatwick airport with at least 242 people on board when it crashed outside the airport perimeter in Ahmedabad. Online photo
An Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with at least 242 people on board crashed near the airport in India's western city of Ahmedabad, the airline and police officials said on Thursday, without specifying whether there were any fatalities.
Air India flight 171 was headed for London's Gatwick airport in the UK, Air India said, while police officers said it crashed outside the airport perimeter.
Gatwick confirmed that an Air India plane that crashed near the western Indian city of Ahmedabad was due to land at the London airport at 18.25 local time.
An airport spokesperson said all flight operations have been temporarily suspended.
"At this moment, we are ascertaining the details and will share further updates," Air India said on X.
The crash occurred when the aircraft was taking off, television channels reported.
One channel showed the plane taking off over a residential area and then disappearing from the screen before a huge cloud of fire rising into the sky from beyond the houses.
According to air traffic control at Ahmedabad airport, the aircraft departed at 1.39 pm, 4.09 pm Hong Kong time, from runway 23.
It gave a "Mayday" call, signalling an emergency, but thereafter no there was no response from the aircraft.
"With profound sorrow I confirm that Air India flight 171 operating Ahmedabad London Gatwick was involved in a tragic accident today," Air India chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran said in a statement.
"Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of all those affected by this devastating event," he said, adding that an emergency centre has been activated and a support team set up for families seeking information.
Visuals showed debris on fire, with thick black smoke rising up into the sky near the airport.
They also showed visuals of people being moved in stretchers and being taken away in ambulances.
A total of 242 people were on board the flight, news agency ANI reported, citing Gujarat state's police control room. (Reuters)
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