Rabat – Air India has confirmed that Flight AI171 operating the Ahmedabad-London Gatwick route crashed this morning. Just five minutes after take-off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Airport in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, the plane came barreling down into a civilian area.
The aircraft took off at 1:38 p.m. local time, and the aircraft reached an altitude of approximately 625 feet before descending rapidly and crashing.
Air India has confirmed that the last signal from the plane was received only a minute after take-off.
A viral video circulating online shows the plane crashing behind buildings near the airport, with other images showing debris around the crash site with smoke rising from buildings in the vicinity.
The plane was reportedly carrying 232 passengers and 12 crew members. No casualties have yet been reported at this time of writing, but at least 30 to 35 bodies have been recovered, as reported by Reuters. It is unlikely that there to be survivors considering the severity of the crash, and as the plane crashed into a residential area, there are also likely to be casualties on the ground.
The Chief Minister of Gujarat has said that officials have been instructed to carry out immediate rescue and relief operations.
Air India’s Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran commented on the tragedy to the press: “It is with profound sorrow that I confirm that Air India Flight 171 operating from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick was involved in a tragic accident today.”
Gatwick Airport confirmed that the flight should have arrived at 6:25 p.m. local time in the UK and issued a statement to families of the British passengers onboard.
Air India and Reuters have confirmed that among the 232 passengers onboard, 169 are believed to be Indian, 53 British, 7 Portuguese, and one Canadian. It has also been confirmed that 11 children were on the plane at the time of the crash.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft was making the travel on routine flight. The cause of the crash remains under investigation, but at the present time, there is no indication of interference or external influence.
