242 People Perish in Indian Plane Crash
A plane carrying 242 people, including 53 British nationals, to London Gatwick has crashed in India. A fireball can be seen in footage as the Air India flight crashed into a residential area near Ahmedabad Airport shortly after take-off. Video circulating on social media shows massive plumes of thick black smoke rising into the sky near the airport in the north-western city in Gujarat state. Other footage shows debris at the scene on fire and people being moved in stretchers and taken away in ambulances. Air India said flight AI171, which departed from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick at 1.38pm local time, was carrying 242 passengers and crew members. They include 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian national. “The injured are being taken to the nearest hospitals,” the airline said in a statement. Ahmedabad Airport said in a statement all flights have been suspended until further notice after the plane crashed “shortly after take-off, outside the airport”. In a statement, London Gatwick said the flight was due to land at 6.25pm UK time on Thursday. Flight tracking website Flightradar said a signal was last received from the aircraft less than a minute after take-off. It is the first ever crash of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, according to the Aviation Safety Network database. The model, a widebody, twin-engined plane, has made five million journeys in the 14 years since its first passenger flight. In a statement, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said “the scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating”. He said he was being kept updated as the situation develops, while Buckingham Palace said the King was also being kept informed. An airport spokesperson said all flights to and from Ahmedabad have been suspended. An airport spokesperson said all flights to and from Ahmedabad have been suspended. The foreign office said the UK is “working with local authorities in India to urgently establish the facts and provide support to those involved” and advised British nationals who require consular assistance to call 020 7008 5000. India’s prime minister Narendra Modi said in a post on X: “The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. “It is heartbreaking beyond words. In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it.” India’s civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said he was “shocked and devastated” to learn about the crash. “We are on highest alert,” he said. “I am personally monitoring the situation and have directed all aviation and emergency response agencies to take swift and coordinated action. “Rescue teams have been mobilised, and all efforts are being made to ensure medical aid and relief support are being rushed to the site.” Aviation expert Julian Bray told Sky News he understands the pilot managed to make a mayday call, meaning the crew was aware of a problem before the crash. Air India was acquired by Tata Group from the Indian government in January 2022 after racking up billions of pounds of losses. The group now operates more than 8,300 weekly flights on 312 routes, connecting more than 100 domestic and international destinations with a fleet of 300 aircraft. The airline’s chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran described the incident as a “tragic accident” and a “devastating event” and said emergency response teams were at the site. “At this moment, our primary focus is on supporting all the affected people and their families,” he said. “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.” A Boeing spokesperson said: “We are aware of initial reports and are working to gather more information.”
