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Air India said its flight with 242 people onboard crashed near Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad city on Thursday.
“Air India confirms that flight AI171, from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, was involved in an accident today after take-off,” the airline said in a post on X.
The Boeing 787-8 aircraft was carrying 242 passengers and crew members, it said, adding that the injured were being taken to the nearest hospitals, without specifying their number.
The airline detailed that 169 Indians, 53 British, seven Portuguese and a Canadian national were among the people on board, with the nationalities of the 12 others not specified.
Times of India quoted the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) as saying that the 242 people on the plane comprised 230 passengers, two pilots and 10 cabin crew members.
Air India affirmed that it was giving its “full cooperation to the authorities investigating this incident”. It also provided a dedicated passenger hotline number for more information: 1800 5691 444.
Visuals showed debris on fire, with thick black smoke rising up into the sky near the airport.
TV channels also showed visuals of people being moved in stretchers and being taken away in ambulances.
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