An Air India passenger plane (flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner) bound for London’s Gatwick airport crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad, western India.
241 passengers and crew on board were killed. It later emerged there was only one survivor, a British man.
There are also likely casualties on the ground, as the plane crashed into a residential area and a doctors’ hostel.
The crash occurred on Thursday after taking off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 13:39 local time (08:09 GMT).
The plane crashed into a residential area called Meghani Nagar, specifically striking a building used as doctors’ accommodation at the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College and Civil Hospital.
The signal from the aircraft was lost less than a minute after take-off, at an altitude of 625ft (190m). The plane issued a mayday call before losing communication.
Of the 242 passengers and crew, there were 169 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals, one Canadian, and 12 crew.
The sole survivor is Vishwashkumar Ramesh, a British man who was sitting in seat 11A. He is being treated in hospital.
Verified footage showed huge plumes of black smoke. Emergency services were involved in a rescue operation, trying to extinguish a fire, and bodies were being recovered.
Air India confirmed the deaths and activated an emergency centre for families. Gatwick Airport set up a reception centre. Boeing said they are in contact with Air India and ready to support.
This is the first time a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner has crashed in this manner since its launch 14 years ago.
More: BBC News
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