An Air India passenger plane carrying 242 passengers and crew crashed in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad on Thursday, soon after departing for London's Gatwick airport, the airline and officials said. A police official told The Associated Press there were no known survivors from the plane, and there were also likely casualties on the ground as the aircraft careened into buildings.
"Air India confirms that flight AI171, from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, was involved in an accident today after take-off," Air India said in a statement posted on social media.
The airline said that the plane, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, departed at 1:38 p.m. local time carrying 242 people.
"Of these, 169 are Indian nationals, 53 are British nationals, 1 Canadian national and 7 Portuguese nationals. The injured are being taken to the nearest hospitals," Air India said.
The head of India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, told The Associated Press that flight AI171 crashed five minutes after taking off.
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