By John Ogunsemore
A London-bound Air India flight carrying 242 passengers and crew crashed on Thursday in Ahmedabad, the largest city in India’s Gujarat state.
In a statement, the airline confirmed that the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed shortly after takeoff.
The Air India flight AI171, carrying 230 passengers, was scheduled to depart from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 9:50 am local time when it suddenly crashed.
“Of these, 169 are Indian nationals, 53 are British nationals, 1 Canadian national and 7 Portuguese nationals,” the airline said.
Aviation authorities said two pilots and 10 cabin crew were onboard the flight.
A senior police officer in Ahmedabad disclosed that the plane crashed into a doctors’ hostel.
Local reports say thick smoke billowed into the sky as crowds gathered, causing traffic gridlock.
Times of India reported that trees and buildings around the crash site were torched in the resulting inferno.
Emergency responders were quickly mobilised, as Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu directed “all aviation and emergency response agencies to take swift and coordinated action.”
Kinjarapu added that all efforts were being made to ensure medical aid and relief support were being rushed to the site.