At least 1 survivor in Air India crash with 242 aboard: report
KYODO NEWS - 2 hours ago - 23:38 | World, All
At least one person survived after a London-bound Air India plane with 242 people aboard crashed shortly after takeoff Thursday in a residential area of the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, local media reported, citing police authorities.
The Boeing 787-8, carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members, was bound for London's Gatwick Airport, the media said, adding all were feared dead hours after the accident. The aircraft went down five minutes after takeoff at 1:38 p.m. in the Meghani Nagar area.
The media reported that the crash also caused fatalities on the ground.
Air India said 169 of those on board were Indian nationals, 53 British, seven Portuguese and one Canadian. Japan's embassy in India said there was no information indicating any Japanese nationals were aboard the flight.
Local television footage appeared to show the plane struggling to stay airborne before crashing into the residential area and erupting in flames and thick black smoke. Fire and rescue teams were dispatched to search for survivors and extinguish the blaze.
The Ahmedabad airport said on social media platform X that all flight operations have been suspended.
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The Mainichi
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Japan Today
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