London-Bound Air India Plane Carrying 242 People Crashes after Takeoff from Ahmedabad

By Shakir Husain

NEW DELHI, June 12 (Bernama) -- An Air India flight bound for London and carrying 242 people, including 12 crew members, crashed on Thursday shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad airport in the western state of Gujarat.

The flight AI171 departed at 1.38 pm local time, the airline said.

The crashed Boeing 787-8 aircraft had 169 Indian nationals, 53 British, one Canadian and seven Portuguese citizens on board.

"The injured are being taken to the nearest hospitals. We have also set up a dedicated passenger hotline number 1800 5691 444 to provide more information. Air India is giving its full cooperation to the authorities investigating this incident," the airline said in a statement.

It was not immediately known how many survived the crash.

"We are on highest alert. I am personally monitoring the situation and have directed all aviation and emergency response agencies to take swift and coordinated action," India's Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said in a post on X.

"Rescue teams have been mobilised, and all efforts are being made to ensure medical aid and relief support are being rushed to the site," he added.

Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA) halted operations after the crash. "All flight operations are temporarily suspended until further notice," an airport spokesperson said.

-- BERNAMA