CNN
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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).
In a statement released shortly afterwards, Gatwick Airport confirmed that Flight AI171 had crashed on departure from Ahmedabad.
According to aviation tracker FlightRadar24, Air India flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, was scheduled to depart from Ahmedabad International airport bound for London Gatwick at 9.50 a.m. local time. The signal from the aircraft was lost at 10.08 a.m. local time (12.38 a.m. ET) at 625 feet, less than a minute after takeoff, according to FlightRadar24 data.
The aircraft then started to descend with a vertical speed of -475 feet per minute, the 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.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
